OPINION:
I have new respect for Mary Bono, who this week resigned from her 4-day-old post as head of USA Gymnastics following athletes’ criticism of an anti-Nike tweet of hers (“Another gymnastics official faces charge in Nassar fallout,” Web, Oct. 18).
On the other hand, Olympic champion Simone Biles, who was described as a “survivor” of the Larry Nassar scandal — in which more than 200 women have come forward claiming to have been sexually abused by him under the “guise of treatment” — has lost my respect. Miss Biles describes herself as “a Nike athlete,” and so she had to “stand up for your brand” and support San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Nike has hired Mr. Kaepernick, who has led a movement over the past few years that has seen his brand, the NFL, lose millions of dollars and viewers because of his “taking a knee” during the U.S. national anthem.
Both Nike and Miss Biles should reassess their positions when it comes to picking people and companies to support.
Finally, it seems the United States may be sliding from “support your country” to “support your brand.” I wonder if Nike would go to war, if necessary, to protect Miss Biles from domination by a foreign “brand” such as Russia or China.
JAMES KOUT
Bowie, Md.
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