For some reason, corporate sponsorship of OUT athletes has become a bit of a thing lately, with Adidas announcing that they would now build into their contracts that they would not drop an athlete simply for coming out.
Well, not sure if its in their contracts or not, but Nike has been doing one better for year now. Â Launching a whole line of #BeTrue clothing dedicated to promoting LGBT inclusion in sport. (you can find it here). Trying to up their image, they held onto Olympic Silver Medalist Freeskiier Gus Kenworthy after he came out, we're left to wonder, is this all just a marketing ploy by a major multi-national?
On Feburary 17, 2016 Nike stepped up, first criticizing, then outright yanking their sponsorship of pro boxer Manny Pacquiao, after he made homophobic remarks, calling people in same-sex relationships "worse than animals",
"We find Manny Pacquiao's comments abhorrent," the company said in a statement. "Nike strongly opposes discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of the LGBT community."
Pacquiao later apologized for his comments, but Nike kept their backing behind our boy Gus. The sport may be different, but the values aren't.