Nike drops Manny Pacquiao for same-sex comments
(Chris Farina / AFP/Getty Images)
Patrick Brown, Associate Writer
Athletes are held to a higher standard than most people. Everything an athlete eats, drinks, says and does, the general public will always pay attention to and it will always have an impact on other athletes who want to be in that position. However, there are always those athletes who are considered the “good guys” of the sport because they never say the wrong thing or show any disrespect.
That’s what made the news about Manny Pacquiao so shocking. For the longest time, he was considered a “good guy” of boxing. Pacquiao was interviewed by the National Conservative Examiner and the subject of same-sex marriage came up. When asked his opinion, the National Conservative Examiner published that Pacquiao cited his religious beliefs that opposed the president’s stance on same-sex marriage.
“It’s common sense. Do you see animals mating with the same sex?” Pacquiao said in the interview. “Animals are better because they can distinguish male from female. If men mate with men and women mate with women, they are worse than animals.”
It was also reported that Pacquiao used the verse Leviticus 20:13 to defend his views, which reads, “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”
The reports put Pacquiao in a lot of hot water with not only his fans, but his sponsors as well. Pacquiao lost his sponsorship with Nike due to the reports.
Athletes have a lot of responsibility that they have to deal with and that is something that cannot be denied. Everything they say, or do, will be under heavy watch and consideration no matter what it is. This is proven with Pacquiao because he said one thing about his opinion of same-sex marriage.
Lets flip this argument to the sponsors. Nike dropped Pacquiao after this article became viral. They did this to protect their image and to assure people that they support all lifestyles. They want to make sure their customers are happy and they want to make sure that they are going to make a profit this quarter.
“We find Manny Pacquiao’s comments abhorrent,” Nike 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.
“We no longer have a relationship with Manny Pacquiao.”
