Manny Pacquiao recently lost his Nike endorsement because of his anti-gay statements. He was asked his personal feelings on gay marriage during a political debate; however ,after being honest about his beliefs, he was penalized with the loss of an endorsement. For an athlete or celebrity, losing an endorsement is an automatic financial setback, but it can also result in a loss of additional opportunities or work.
We’ve seen athletes like Tiger Woods lose endorsements after issues in their personal lives became public, but Pacquiao has not committed any acts of violence or showed untrustworthiness. Pacquiao’s statements, although provocative, were rooted in his religious beliefs. He quoted a Bible verse to explain his words, but it was met with even more backlash. Pacquiao’s tweets caused a landslide of social media backlash, resulting in Nike publicly rescinding his endorsement and cutting ties with the boxer. Shortly after the Internet went ablaze with outrage at Pacquiao’s words, Nike released the following statement: “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. We no longer have a relationship with Manny Pacquiao.”
Pacquiao’s loss suggests there is little protection for freedom of speech, and even worse than that it suggests that if talents’ religious beliefs don’t line up with the majority, there could be career consequences. Nike’s actions were the actions of a company that did not want to lose in the court of public opinion.
Brands make a practice of soliciting talent that lines up with their mission statement and beliefs. Unfortunately, no matter how closely they seem to line up there are always going to be differences in lifestyle, cultural background and even religion. The bottom line is if your religious beliefs don’t line up with public opinion, it can cost you your career, endorsements and financial livelihood.
