Nike and Under Armour Support Athletes ‘Taking a Knee,’ But They Didn’t Expect Sales to Do This

Did you know that two official sponsors of the NFL supported the whole “bend the knee” athletes?  According to the Hollywood Reporter:

Nike, an official sponsor of the NFL, and Under Armour, which has endorsement contracts with players including Cam Newton and Tom Brady, both issued statements regarding the decision of dozens of football players to take a knee during the national anthem at their games over the weekend. The players are protesting violence against young African-Americans in the U.S., specifically at the hands of police.

The companies tweeted their support of the athletes. “@UnderArmour stands for the flag and by our Athletes for free speech, expression and a unified America,” wrote Under Armour.  Nike wrote, “Nike supports athletes and their right to freedom of expression on issues that are of great importance to our society.”

Well, guess what? The customer apparently didn’t like this.  Instapundit reports that Under Armour’s stock “is falling as sales tank“:

Under Armour Inc. posted its first sales decline as a public company, renewing concerns about a brand that was long seen as the sportswear industry’s biggest growth story.

Also Nike has experienced lackluster growth in the United States as well:

Nike Inc., the world’s largest sports brand, has also experienced lackluster growth in the U.S. It has chalked up its woes to the struggles of longstanding U.S. retailers and not getting products to market fast enough.

Or, maybe, the companies’ tone deaf endorsement of the NFL athletes taking a knee didn’t sit well with the heartland?

I love it that Americans are voting with their pocketbooks.

Image Credit: Pexels

Hat Tip:  Instapundit