The Los Angeles Kings made a severe gaffe with the local Armenian community when it celebrated Armenian Heritage Night in February.
The Kings sold scarves with the Armenian flag on them that were made in Turkey, the neighbor of Armenia and historic antagonist
What they’re saying: After significant public outcry, the Kings issued an apology to the Armenian community for the “oversight.”
- “We, the LA Kings and our partners at Rank & Rally, want to sincerely apologize to all our friends in the Armenian Community and beyond for the oversight that may have inadvertently impacted your experience during what should’ve been a joyous celebration,” the apology reads. “We source, stock and sell merchandise from a select list of manufacturers that are officially licensed by the league, and we were unaware of the item’s production origin.”
Driving the news: Armenian Heritage Night was held on Feb. 22 and is an annual event.
- The Los Angeles area has the largest population of Armenians in the world outside of Armenia, with over 200,000 people.
- Armenian migration was spurned by the Armenian Genocide in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire, which massacred around 1.5 million people.
State of play: The Kings are offering full refunds or exchanges in person or by mail for anyone who purchased the scarf at the TEAM LA store located at Crypto.com Arena.
