"Boston Strong" is a slogan that was created as part of the reaction to the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. It is a variation on the term Livestrong, which was created in 2004. Since the phrase became popular it has been frequently placed on various kinds of signage and merchandise. [1] The use of the term in Boston has led to similar phrases entering public discourse, such as America Strong.
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, Nicholas Reynolds, and Lane Brenner, students at Emerson College. An expression of Boston's unity after the bombing, the slogan showed up on T-shirts and other products, and was emblazoned on the "Green Monster" wall at Boston's Fenway Park. [1] [2] The Boston Bruins displayed the slogan on their helmets at their game two days after the bombing, [3] and at the first baseball game in Fenway Park after the bombing, the stadium announcer told the crowd: "We are one. We are strong. We are Boston. We are Boston strong." [1]
On April 17, two days after the bombing, 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. [2] 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. [2]
The One Fund Boston, a trademark that received registration, collected and distributed over $80 million, is closed in 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, Dropkick Murphys, J. Geils Band, Boston, Godsmack, Extreme, Jason Aldean, Jimmy Buffett, Carole King, Dane Cook and Steven Wright. [4]
The Boston Strong entertainment industry concert videos online and money they generate is not associated with the bostonstrong.org charity.
The term has also made its way into many publications since the bombing as well. [5]
The "Strong" slogan has been adopted by several cities affected by mass shootings and other tragedies since it first became popular in Boston. [6]
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. [7] Man-Made and Natural disaster non-entertainment news affiliates Boston Strong bostonstrong.com was created 11/29/2012, 15 months after affiliate VTstrong.com was created in 2011 following Hurricane Irene mountain floods. NewJerseyStrong.com was created 10/2012 as Hurricane Sandy struck the lower Atlantic.
Wesley Lowery, then a reporter at The Boston Globe , tweeted in October 2013 that he thought the phrase had become overly commercialized, a view which drew criticism though Lowery's tweet specified he was "still inspired by the resilience of so many of those wounded in the marathon bombings." [8] [9] 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." [10]
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. [11]
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. Founded in 1901 as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the team's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since 1912. The "Red Sox" name was chosen by the team owner, John I. Taylor, c. 1908, following the lead of previous teams that had been known as the "Boston Red Stockings", including the Boston Braves. The team has won nine World Series championships, tied for the third-most of any MLB team, and has played in 13 World Series. Their most recent World Series appearance and win was in 2018. In addition, they won the 1904 American League pennant, but were not able to defend their 1903 World Series championship when the New York Giants refused to participate in the 1904 World Series.
Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the ballpark of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantially rebuilt in 1934, and underwent major renovations and modifications in the 21st century. It is the oldest active ballpark in MLB. Because of its age and constrained location in Boston's dense Fenway–Kenmore neighborhood, the park has many quirky features, including "The Triangle", Pesky's Pole, and the Green Monster in left field. It is the fifth-smallest among MLB ballparks by seating capacity, second-smallest by total capacity, and one of eight that cannot accommodate at least 40,000 spectators.
Patriots' Day is an annual event, formalized as a legal holiday or a special observance day in six U.S. states, commemorating the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Menotomy, some of the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. The holiday occurs on the third Monday of April each year, with celebrations including battle reenactments and the Boston Marathon.
The Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly, singer Al Barr, guitarist James Lynch, and multi-instrumentalists Tim Brennan and Jeff DaRosa.
WBZ-TV is a television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, serving as the market's CBS outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside independent WSBK-TV. Both stations share studios on Soldiers Field Road in the Allston–Brighton section of Boston. WBZ-TV's transmitter is located on Cedar Street in Needham, Massachusetts, on a tower site that was formerly owned by CBS and is now owned by American Tower Corporation.
WSBK-TV is an independent television station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside CBS outlet WBZ-TV. The two stations share studios on Soldiers Field Road in the Allston–Brighton section of Boston. WSBK-TV's transmitter is located on Cedar Street in Needham, Massachusetts, on a tower site that was formerly owned by CBS and is now owned by American Tower Corporation.
WEEI-FM – branded SportsRadio 93.7 WEEI-FM – is a commercial sports radio station licensed to Lawrence, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and much of surrounding New England. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WEEI-FM is the Boston affiliate for CBS Sports Radio, the NFL on Westwood One Sports, the flagship station for the Boston Red Sox Radio Network; and the radio home of Greg Hill, Lou Merloni, Christian Fauria and Jermaine Wiggins.
Thomas Michael Menino was an American politician who served as the mayor of Boston, from 1993 to 2014. He was the city's longest-serving mayor. He was elected mayor in 1993 after first serving three months in the position of "acting mayor" following the resignation of his predecessor Raymond Flynn. Before serving as mayor, Menino was a member of the Boston City Council and had been elected president of the City Council in 1993.
"Dream On" is a power ballad by Aerosmith from their 1973 eponymous debut album. Written by lead singer Steven Tyler, this song was their first major hit and became a classic rock radio staple. Released in June 1973, it peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 but hit big in the band's native Boston, where it was the number one single of the year on WBZ-FM, number five for the year on WRKO and number 16 on WMEX (AM). The song also received immediate heavy airplay on the former WVBF (FM), often showing up in the #1 position on "The Top Five at Five" in June 1973.
Robert "Bob" Lobel is a former sportscaster for WBZ-TV in Boston, Massachusetts. He anchored the sports segments on the evening newscasts between Sunday and Thursday, and hosted the weekly programs Sports Final and Patriots 5th Quarter. During a round of layoffs in April 2008, Lobel's contract was bought out by the station. Golf Digest called him an "iconic sportscaster" with "an impressive resume" that includes having served as a news anchor, NFL and NBA announcer, NCAA Tournament sideline reporter and Fenway Park public announcer.
"Draw the Line" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, and was released in 1977 as the first single from the album Draw the Line. It peaked at number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was included on their album Greatest Hits.
Boston, Massachusetts, is home to several major professional sports franchises. They include the Red Sox (baseball), the Celtics, and the Bruins. The New England Patriots and the New England Revolution play at Gillette Stadium in nearby Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Fenway Sports Group Holdings, LLC (FSG), is an American multinational sports holding conglomerate which owns NASCAR's RFK Racing, Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox, the Premier League’s Liverpool, the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins, and the TMRW Golf League's Boston Common Golf.
The 2013 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2013 season. The 109th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the National League (NL) champion St. Louis Cardinals; the Red Sox won, 4 games to 2 to win their eighth championship. The Red Sox had home field advantage for the series, based on the AL's win in the 2013 MLB All-Star Game on July 16. This was the first World Series since 1999 to feature both number one seeds from the AL and NL. The Series started on October 23, ending with Game 6 on October 30.
The Kansas City Royals' 2013 season was the 45th for the Royals franchise which began on April 1, 2013 against the Chicago White Sox.
Edward F. Davis III is the former police commissioner of the Boston Police Department, having served from 2006 to 2013, including during the Boston Marathon bombing. Following his resignation from the police, Davis has been the security analyst for WBZ-TV in Boston. He is the founder and CEO of Edward Davis, LLC Security and Management Consulting.
Patriots Day is a 2016 American action thriller film based on the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013 and the subsequent terrorist manhunt. Directed by Peter Berg and written by Berg, Matt Cook, and Joshua Zetumer, the film is based on the book Boston Strong by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge. It stars Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, J. K. Simmons, and Michelle Monaghan. It marks the third collaboration between Berg and Wahlberg, following Lone Survivor and Deepwater Horizon. The title refers to Patriots' Day, the Massachusetts state holiday on which the Boston Marathon is held.
'47 is a privately held American clothing brand founded in 1947 as "Twins Enterprise" by twin Italian immigrant brothers, Henry and Arthur D'Angelo. '47 maintains licenses to create headwear, apparel and accessories for the Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, National Football League, Big Bash League, Minor League Baseball, Major League Lacrosse, National Rugby League and over 900 college institutions in the United States. As of 2024, the company has about 250 employees and more than $400 million in annual revenues.
Jeff Bauman is an American author. He lost both of his legs during the Boston Marathon Bombing attack in 2013 and was the subject of a famous photograph taken in the aftermath of the bombing. The film Stronger is based on a memoir of the same name he co-wrote, with actor Jake Gyllenhaal portraying Bauman.
Media related to Boston Strong at Wikimedia Commons
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