Manny Pacquiao's recent comments about the LGBT community have "cost him a contract with Nike," and it "may not be the only endorsement Pacquiao loses," according to Tim Dahlberg of the AP. Pacquiao and Top Rank Chair Bob Arum are scrambling to "contain the damage done by a television interview in the Philippines in which the boxer said gay people 'are worse than animals.'" As a result, Nike said that it "no longer will have any business dealings with the boxer." The company issued a statement that read, "We find Manny Pacquiao's comments abhorrent. Nike strongly opposes discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of the LGBT community." Arum said that Pacquiao "is an evangelical Christian who believes that homosexuality is wrong, and that he was trying to win votes in the Philippines, where the issue of same sex marriage has not been decided." Pacquiao is running for a Senate seat in his native Philippines. Arum: "What he said is completely for home consumption for Filipinos wrestling with the question of legalizing same sex marriage." However, Arum admitted that Pacquiao "could lose some other fight sponsors because of the remarks." Dahlberg noted in addition to his campaign for the Senate, Pacquiao is "currently training" for an April 9 fight in Las Vegas against Timothy Bradley "in what he says will be his last bout" (AP, 2/17). ESPN.com's Darren Rovell noted Pacquiao "was more of a billboard for Nike, which had its swoosh on his shorts for fights and on his shoes, instead of a true revenue stream." Pacquiao items that reached the market "were few and far between" (ESPN.com, 2/17). USA TODAY's A.J. Perez noted Pacquiao also has "served as a pitchman for Wonderful Pistachios and Nestle, although representatives for both companies said they don’t have him under contract currently" (USATODAY.com, 2/17).
FREEDOM OF SPEECH: USA TODAY's Luke Kerr-Dineen wrote Pacquiao, a "deeply religious man with strong convictions, is entitled to think whatever he wants." Kerr-Dineen: "Whether you like to hear it or not, he’s entitled to say whatever he thinks." Nike, for its part, "is allowed to make value judgments based on those views." Some may argue that personal views "shouldn’t intrude on business relationships, and they usually don’t." But when an athlete like Pacquiao "decides to thrust polarizing opinions into the public sphere, it presents a new set of circumstances." Still, cutting a professional athlete of Pacquiao’s stature "takes guts." But Nike "did it anyway, and the company should be commended for it" (USATODAY.com, 2/17). ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said dropping Pacquiao is an "easier call" for Nike than it might have been previously because he is "at the end of his career" ("PTI," ESPN, 2/17).
