Boston Strong

For the book by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge, see Boston Strong (book).

The Massachusetts State House displays a Boston Strong banner during the 2013 World Series.

"Boston Strong" is a slogan that was created as part of the reaction to the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013. It is a variation on the term Livestrong, which was created in 2004. It has been placed on various kinds of merchandise after the phrase became popular, as well as gained criticism from various entities. The use of the term in Boston has led to similar phrases entering public discourse, such as America Strong.

History

In the hours after the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013, the slogan "Boston Strong" appeared as a highly popular hashtag on Twitter and rapidly spread around the world. It was a T-shirt campaign created by Christopher Dobens and Nicholas Reynolds, students at Emerson College. An expression of Boston's unity after the bombings, the slogan showed up on T-shirts and other products, and was emblazoned on the "Green Monster" wall at Boston's Fenway Park. The Boston Bruins displayed the slogan on their helmets at their game two days after the bombings, and at the first baseball game in Fenway Park after the bombings, the stadium announcer told the crowd: "We are one. We are strong. We are Boston. We are Boston strong."

On April 17, two days after the bombings, a T-shirt vendor and another private individual submitted separate trademark registration applications to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, seeking to obtain ownership of the "Boston Strong" slogan for use on commercial products. One of the applicants said he wanted the trademark in order to prevent people from outside the Boston area from benefiting from it. A trademark attorney was quoted in the Huffington Post as predicting that the government office would deny the registration on the grounds that the slogan was already in the public domain and could not be linked to any specific entity.

On July 17, 2013, Boston Strong Bostonstrong.com LLC submitted trademark application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the first for "Charitable Fundraising to Support Disaster Relief", and failed to receive registration in April 2014. Boston Strong bostonstrong.com was created 11/29/2012, well before anyone was interested in the mark, and was used as a safety awareness advertising and disaster news campaign. Goods sold via bostonstrong.com were used to create Boston Strong Disaster Relief, Inc., a MA non-profit, on March 17, 2015. The non-profit will begin to operate after IRS 501c3 status and MA State solicitation permits are issued. Boston Strong Disaster Relief, Inc. is a registered trademark in the State of MA as of 4/13/2015.

In late May, a concert, Boston Strong: An Evening of Support and Celebration, was held at TD Garden with performances by Aerosmith, James Taylor, Bell Biv Devoe, New Kids on the Block J. Geils Band, Boston, Godsmack, Extreme, Jason Aldean, Jimmy Buffett, Carole King, Dane Cook and Steven Wright.

The term has also made its way into many publications since the bombings, as well.

Etymology

The roots of Boston Strong can be traced back to the Livestrong bracelets marketed by the Livestrong Foundation in 2003. The phrase can also be traced back to the United States Army's Army Strong motto, as well as Jersey Strong, which became popular in New Jersey following the destruction of Hurricane Sandy.

Criticism

Wesley Lowery tweeted in 2013 that he viewed the phrase to be overly commercialized, a view which quickly gained condemnation on Twitter. A few weeks later, Bill Maher criticized the term, referring to a moment when he said: "You know again it was a bad day. Three people died that's terrible, more were maimed that's horrible, but unfortunately that happens every day in car accidents and everything else. I mean your city was not leveled by Godzilla." The remarks came in response to the 2013 World Series celebration, when Boston Red Sox players Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jonny Gomes walked to the finish line of the Boston Marathon and placed the World Series Trophy on the line, while the crowd sang "God Bless America". Former Mayor Thomas Menino later called Maher's comments "irresponsible."

In February 2014, a charitable organization in El Paso, Texas considered taking possible legal action against the Red Sox due to their using a variation of the slogan, "B Strong", which it started using seven years earlier.