Atlanta, Georgia - Social media erupted in jokes and memes on Thursday after the Atlanta Falcons unveiled a logo that instantly drew comparisons with the imagery of Nazi Germany.
The logo – posted by the Falcons on the club's social media channels – shows the team's old falcon symbol from the 1960s and 1970s, emblazoned on a background of red, white, and black stripes.
The "throwback" design is being used in the run-up to Atlanta's game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
But the design prompted an avalanche of comments from social media users who said it resembled iconography of Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party.
The Falcons post revealing the design on X had attracted some 26 million views since being published early Thursday.
Comments beneath the post lampooned the logo mercilessly over its perceived Nazi resemblance.
"I must say, I was not expecting to wake up this morning to see that the Atlanta Falcons are preparing to invade Poland," one user wrote.
Another referenced the Falcons' notorious 2017 Super Bowl collapse against the New England Patriots.
"Falcons were up 28-3 at Dunkirk," the user commented.
Another user commented that after this weekend's home game against San Francisco, the Falcons had "road games in Dunkirk, Normandy, and Stalingrad."
Several users mocked the Falcons as the "Bird Reich". The Falcons did not immediately comment on the logo.