Social media erupted in jokes and memes Thursday after the Atlanta Falcons unveiled a logo that instantly drew comparisons to images of Nazi Germany.
The logo – posted by the Falcons on the NFL team’s social media channels – shows the team’s old falcon symbol from the 1960s and 1970s, printed on a background of red, white and black stripes.
The “throwback” design is used in the lead-up to Atlanta’s game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
But the drawing sparked an avalanche of comments from social media users, saying it resembled the iconography of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party.
The Falcons’ post revealing the design on X has attracted more than 26 million views since it was posted Thursday morning.
A post shared by the Atlanta Falcons (@atlantafalcons)
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Comments below the post mercilessly criticized the logo due to its perceived Nazi resemblance.
“I have to say, I didn’t expect to wake up this morning to see that the Atlanta Falcons are preparing to invade Poland,” one user wrote.
Another referenced the Falcons’ famous collapse in the 2017 Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.
“The Falcons led 28-3 in Dunkirk,” the user commented.
Others have found ways to combine football terminology with references to World War II. “The Falcons lead the league in blitzkrieg,” one user joked.
“I give it a nein/10,” wrote another.
One commentator dubbed the team the “28-3rd Reich”, combining the Nazi reference with the infamous Super Bowl collapse in Atlanta.
“All they have to do is hire Frank Reich and it will be over,” wrote another, referring to the former NFL head coach.
Another user commented that after this weekend’s home game against San Francisco, the Falcons played “away games at Dunkirk, Normandy and Stalingrad.”
Others suggested the Falcons might need to change the NFL end zone slogan from “End Racism” to “Start Racism,” while one commenter proposed a new billing for Sunday’s game: “49ers vs. 39ers.”
Several users mocked the Falcons by calling them the “Bird Reich.”
The Falcons did not immediately comment on the logo.
Gn sports
