Boxing legend, Manny Pacquiao is in hot water from the LGBT community, as well as Nike, for his recent comments on his beliefs of same-sex marriage. WVUE of New Orleans recently published an article about Nike cutting ties with Pacquiao over his opposing views.
Pacquiao said, “Have you seen any animal having male-to-male or female-to-female relations?… If you have male-to-male or female-to-female (relationships), then people are worse than animals.” He went on to say, “I’m not condemning the LGBT, What I am condemning is the act.” Pacquiao states his views come from his Christian faith.
Nike said it opposes any sort of discrimination, and that is the reason they will no longer sponsor or support Pacquiao.
What do you think?
Hi Sarah! I think your post brought a great point for us to discuss about. First of all, I believe that Manny Pacquiao is free to share his point of view on the controversial matter of same-sex marriage, but the way he did it wasn’t the right one. I think that all of us can talk about our beliefs, but talking about our stands on same-sex marriage is a very delicate subject that we should approach with much care. We need to be especially mindful of the LGBT community. Pacquiao said that he wasn’t condemning the LGBT community – maybe not directly, but to me he still did.
About the action that Nike took after Pacquiao’s statements, I believe that an organization is free to stop supporting a client who doesn’t hold the same convictions, and just the way that Pacquiao expressed himself didn’t help because it came off as aggressive and rude. Again, I don’t think there is anything wrong with having different opinions but we do need to choose our words wisely.
Hi Sarah! I had not heard about this, so thank you for posting.
I think that it is a smart business decision for Nike to stop sponsoring Pacquiao. I do believe that Pacquiao has the right to say whatever he would like, but he signed with Nike and he represents their company. They state that they don’t support discrimination, and that means they can’t support an athlete who doesn’t have the same values as the company. I don’t personally believe that by pulling their sponsorship Nike is going against freedom of speech.
Awesome post Sarah! This article really got me going. I find it upsetting that Nike will no longer support or sponsor Pacquiao because of his beliefs. In today’s world everyone is so worried about being politically correct and hurting everyone’s feelings that they are almost being intimidated into not expressing how they really feel. Keep in mind, I’m not saying that I believe that homosexuals are worse than animals.
Another reason why I find it upsetting that Nike dropped Pacquiao, or that this is even an issue, is because if he were to make a statement that went against something that was rooted in conservative belief, it probably wouldn’t have gotten any coverage. However, since his belief and statement went against something that is more liberal, there has been an uproar. Nike has lost an incredible client in Pacquiao all because he decided to express his beliefs, even though in today’s “politically correct” world, expressing yourself is what life is all about.
Hey Sarah! I think that you picked a very relevant topic to post about since many people are still sitting in a gray area about what to think about same sex marriage/relationships. I will be honest, I grew up in a very Christian household where dating someone of the same sex is extremely looked down upon. Both of my parents see relationships as being a man and a women, nothing else. Many people assume that my parents are people who look down on those who agree with same sex marriage or those who are in one, but they don’t. They are still nice people who won’t discriminate because of their viewpoints, but will never agree with them. We all have our views on this topic and no one will ever end up on the same page. The way I look at it, I agree with my parents views and stand by them, but will you ever see me be cruel, hurtful, or discriminate towards someone with a different outlook on relationships then me? Absolutely not.
This Boxer does have a right to stand by what he feels. Now, do I think he could have come about his opinion a little less aggressive? Yes. But, I also think that society is always in a constant battle with one another. When someone expresses their opinion on a topic that the other person may not agree with, their is automatic hate. I think that Manny Pacquiao could have handled his opinion more appropriately and not as dramatic in the sense of comparing us to actually animals, but if that is his opinion and if he truly stands by his opinion, the consequences won’t matter at the end.