We now live in a world where simply expressing praise for the democratically-elected leader of a country can have deleterious effects on an otherwise apolitical business. The latest victim is Under Armour, whose president said some nice things about President Trump.
Here are the offending comments. Brace yourself, it's pretty bad*:
"To have such a pro-business president is something that is a real asset for the country," Plank said. "People can really grab that opportunity."
[...]
"He wants to build things. He wants to make bold decisions and be really decisive,"
[...]
"I'm a big fan of people that operate in the world of 'publish and iterate' versus 'think, think, think, think, think,'" Plank said. "So there's a lot that I respect there."
HOLY COW. Who knew that...a businessman would appreciate policies that are friendly to business? Quelle horreur! Will someone think of the children?
And of course, because this is 2017 and apparently showing patriotism or optimism towards the Trump administration/anything he does is cause for a public shaming, people are saying that they're going to boycott Under Armour.
Shannon Coulter, the woman behind the #GrabYourWallet boycott that may have resulted in stores dropping Ivanka Trump's brand, quickly added Under Armour to her witch hunt boycott list.
.@UnderArmour now in "FYI" section of #GrabYourWallet site. Main part for cos. w/ ?? connex. to Trump fam and/or contributed to Donald's win. https://t.co/9lzBVu7RRn
— Shannon Coulter (@shannoncoulter) February 8, 2017
Interesting how many people mentioned their sons today in relation to no longer buying @UnderArmour products. This is but a small sample. pic.twitter.com/HYKI1Yk3mU
— Shannon Coulter (@shannoncoulter) February 8, 2017
Me to my son: "Welp, @UnderArmour supports Trump." My 9yo: "Yup, not wearing that anymore."
— Adrienne?? (@a_c_shell) February 8, 2017
bye @UnderArmour .... https://t.co/OVTdGhprqf
— Dr. Teri Goetz (@terigoetz) February 8, 2017
Some people suggested switching athletic brands from Under Armour to Lululemon, which is hysterical because that store has its own set of "problematic" tendencies.
The CEO of New Balance saw a similar backlash after he expressed relief that this president is likely going to be kinder to businesses like his, that make their products in the United States. People burnt their shoes in response.
Everyone needs to get a grip.
*No it's not.