Today’s Baltimore Sun shows how Maryland’s unique Under Armour based uniforms and helmet of, may not be as original as we all thought on Labor Day. The helmets are very similar to the Charm City Roller Girls All-Stars team, which they’ve been using for the past three years.
“They’re not identical, but they’re shockingly similar,” said Hillary “Rosie the Rioter” Rosensteel, the roller derby team’s captain.
Both helmets are patterned after the Maryland State flag and contain gold, black, red and white elements.
The Charm City Roller Girls’ All-Stars team has been using their helmets inspired by the state flag for three years. Ray Baranowski, who’s married to player Holly “GoHardley” Baranowski designed them.
“Ray developed it and hand-painted them,” Rosensteel said.
Rosensteel said it’s not the first time someone’s stolen their original design work. But she’s not sure if that’s what happened with Under Armour and declined to accuse the company of lifting the design outright.
She said it’s not implausible that the Terps helmets’ designers saw the All-Stars’ own helmets and were influenced.
“I can only guess where it came from,” she said.
For now, she said, “It’s just a coincidence. But I should not say anymore right now.”
She said the news is too fresh for the team to know if they’ll plan to pursue legal action or anything beyond scoffing at the alleged pilfering.
This is great exposure for Women’s Roller Derby and the local Baltimore team, I would be surprised if Under Armour found a way outside to courts to settle with the team.
