Nike is pulling “specific executions” from its Hyperdunk campaign after concerns were raised last week that the ads were homophobic.
Nike statement via ESPN: “Nike is strongly opposed to discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting athletes regardless of their sexual orientation. The advertisement in question is based purely upon a common insight from within the game of basketball — the athletic feat of dunking on the opposition, and is not intended to be offensive. However, after listening to concerns expressed around specific executions, we have decided to drop them from the campaign to underline our ongoing commitment to supporting diversity in sport and the workplace. Nike has a strong record of support for diversity and is proud to have been honored with a 100 percent score over several consecutive years in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index.”
ESPN notes that “That Ain’t Right” and “Punks Jump Up” have been removed from the blog of the ad agency which created them, suggesting that these images are among those targeted to be pulled.
