The Intersectionality of Protest, Politics, Pro Athletes, and Pop Culture in 2019
(updated February 16, 2019)
Kenneth Cole is not a revolutionary. He is not a political figurehead or social justice warrior. Kenneth Cole sells shoes.
For as long as I can remember, Kenneth Cole has run a billboard at the 125th street exit on Manhattan’s southbound Westside Highway. The ads trumpet social and political issues; from LGBT rights to gun violence, oft promoting a charitable initiative, or lightening up New Yorkers’ bumper to bumper commutes with a tongue-in-cheek social statement, such as “help address the homeless.”
I never understood why a fashion brand would invest in prominent billboard realty to not advertise their own products, but then social media happened.
In the digital age, if brands and organizations seek meaningful, humanizing engagement with their consumers, they must swiftly and boldly address social, often highly politicized issues. In some cases, rather than simply echoing their consumers’ sentiments, brands can inspire them to re-evaluate their own beliefs.
The NBA Takes is Talents Back to Charlotte for All Star Weekend 2019
I have a deep, if not irrational love for basketball. I grew up playing it, spend too much time watching it, and am deeply saddened by it (almost) every April when my Knicks miss the playoffs. My passions for basketball and social justice have always existed in separate realms, until the 2017 NBA All Star game.
In protest of North Carolina’s discriminatory House Bill 2 (more colloquially known as the “Bathroom Bill”) the NBA controversially pulled the 2017 All-Star Weekend from Charlotte. A CNN study estimates that the city of Charlotte missed out on at least $100 million in All Star-related revenue as a result. The story was covered by virtually every major media outlet. American voters, not just basketball fans took notice. Fast forward to today — 2019 NBA All Star Weekend.
We’re back in Charlotte. All the heavy hitters have descended on the North Carolina’s biggest city — LeBron, KD, Steph, Gary V, Quavo, Bad Bunny, Mark Cuban — with all of their followers, fans, and brand partners in tow. Charlotte will have hundreds of millions of eyes focused on it this weekend.
What happened between 2017 and 2019 that the NBA finally decided to take its talents (back) to Charlotte? The most contentious component of NC House Bill 2, which would have forced transgender people in public buildings to use the bathroom that corresponds with the gender listed on their birth certificate, has been repealed. Simply put, North Carolina’s lawmakers were strong-armed into repealing an overtly prejudiced law by brands, athletes, and voters.
As a global brand, the NBA projected a culture of acceptance on behalf of our greater society. It showed that while prejudiced laws still exist, tolerance can be an even more disruptive social force.
More brands and prominent organizations are beginning to follow the NBA’s lead. On the coattails of the #metoo movement, Gillette aired a TV and digital spot that sought to dismantle toxic masculinity, simultaneously sparking widespread support and biiter backlash. Nike, one the most recognizable brands in the world, recently launched a campaign with (ex) NFL Pro Bowler and social justice icon Colin Kaepernick. Americans across the country posted videos burning their Air Force 1's, athletics retailers boycotted Nike, and conservative pundits decried Nike to to “shut up and sell sneakers.”
Budweiser’s 2018 Super Bowl ad depicted its immigrant founder’s perilous journey to the USA, and his struggles with xenophobia-on-arrival. The ad immediately sparked a public debate about immigration and within minutes of the commercial airing, #boycottbudweiser was a trending topic on twitter (during the Super Bowl no less).
No longer banished to the sports section, the NFL now graces the cover pages and op-ed columns of the New York Times and Washington Post. No mention of a game, but social and political commentary abound.
In recent years, the NBA hardwood has been a sturdier pulpit for social discourse than the NFL gridiron. Several teams famously posted team photos donning hooded sweatshirts and sported warm-ups with the phrase “I can’t breathe,” in response to the unjust deaths of Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner, respectively.
More recently, the perennial NBA champion Golden State Warriors proactively declined their traditional White House visit, drawing the ire of President Trump and sparking a comically irate dis-invitation to star player, and global NBA icon, Stephen Curry.
Laura Ingraham, a prominent conservative pundit, famously implored LeBron James to stay in his lane and out of conversations on politics and social issues, to “shut up and dribble.” James replied by producing a documentary on the growing role of black athletes in American society’s cultural and political ecosystem…
The series is called “Shut up and Dribble.”
When more brands begin to follow the NBA and Kenneth Cole’s leads, lawmakers will no doubt think twice before passing discriminatory laws. If brands built on alpha-male machismo (like the NBA) and folksy Americana (like Budweiser), not only declare their support for immigrants and the LGBT community, but act against prejudice, what is stopping other brands and their consumers from following suit?
Consumers, especially cause-conscious millennials, need to feel that the brands they view as extensions of themselves are willing to throw their weight and political muscle behind social issues, and use their platforms as a vehicle for social justice.
Brands and athletes have an immense impact on popular opinion far beyond the arena. Americans should applaud the athletes and brands that, at the risk of alienating their fans and risking brand boycott, take a stand (or a knee) against prejudiced laws and social injustice.
