Thread regarding Nike Inc. layoffs

Kyries shoes were already gonna get cut. They just got an excuse to do it

@1lej: your point about Kobe is a good one. But if that same thing had happened in 2023 instead of 2003 - an allegation of serious violence against a woman - do you think 2023 Nike would have been as eager to let the process play out? I don’t. If that had happened in 2023 I think Nike would have dropped him like a hot potato. His claim of innocence wouldn’t have mattered. Wokeness would have demanded his head long before his criminal case was dismissed.

I agree with @wmr. And I’m GLAD that Nike doesn’t embrace the ly--h-mob mentality that has become so prevalent these days. Ja made a social media post in very poor taste and he’s already paying a price for it. Im not going to comment on the lawsuit because at this point it’s an allegation and I’ve been around the block long enough to know that with such lawsuits first appearances can and often are deceiving.

The question becomes “Do you rip up the contract of an up and coming sports star because of one stupid social media post?” I don’t think you do. I think you sit the guy down, have a “come to Jesus” meeting with him, and let him know that if he doesn’t mend his ways both his sports career and attached endorsements may have a very short shelf-life. You basically put him “on probation” and let him know that if he doesn’t wise up he’s going to pay a heavy price for it.

The guy is still young. This isn’t someone who has spent the last 10 years giving endorsers every reason to drop him. Nike is being level-headed here as it often is with endorsement contracts. I remember a long time ago people were making the same types of arguments with a young and promising basketball player named Kobe. He had gotten himself into some serious legal trouble in Colorado and most of his sponsors couldn’t dump him fast enough. Nike took a different and at the time unpopular route. Nike didn’t join the ly--h-mob crowd and instead said “We’re going to let the process play out and then decide if Kobe has a place with the Nike brand.” That ended up being an incredibly smart and forward-thinking decision. Not only would Kobe go on to be an incredible basketball star, he went on to be a role model in many other ways. And to think…Nike could have simply made the easy decision to jump on the bandwagon and ditch the guy. What you’re seeing now with Ja are learnings from previous experiences. I for one am glad that Nike thinks independently about these things rather than immediately ceding to the demands of people with pitchforks.

Protect the future meal ticket at all cost.

I disagree. I think it depends on the situation. Comparing Kyrie and Ja's situation. Kyrie has a history of making controversial comments and he's 30 years old. Ja only recently made these bad choices and he's only 23 years old. People should be allowed to make and learn from mistakes especially when they're in their early 20's. If after 1 years Ja continues to make bad decisions off the court, then it's fair to start questioning whether his sponsors should continue to support him.