Nike drops ads perceived as insensitive to gay men and african americans

In response to critics complaints that a new ad campaign promoting basketball shoes was insensitive to gay men and African Americans, sporting goods behemoth Nike, Inc. pulled the ads, which were displayed primarily outdoors in New York, Atlanta and Philadelphia.

The ads featured two male basketball players who were unidentifiable due to the fact that the ad is a still photo of one player flying up to the basketball net for a slam dunk as his groin smashes into the player that was guarding him. The scene in the ads was subtitled with slogans like “Isn’t That Cute” and "That Ain't Right." Following its release, bloggers began to lash out against Nike for criticizing Gays and African Americans.

What I don’t understand is how this ad campaign apparently was so offensive to some to prompt them to accuse Nike of being homophobic and racist (I guess). I can see how the tag line can be misinterpreted, but I think labeling these ads insensitive is a bit over the top.

First of all, Nike and the ad agency likely did not create the campaign to offend gay men and African Americans. We all know that Nike is in the business of making money (and they’re VERY good at it), so it would be pretty irresponsible of them to purposely ask for an ad campaign that alienated the lucrative Gay and African American markets.

Second, I have been to many basketball games where I have heard similar comments made when players crash into each other. I doubt that I am out of touch, and I don’t believe that any one making those comments in the real life setting was insinuating that they players involved were homosexual.

As for how the ads are insensitive to African Americans, I am not sure. Perhaps the ads critics feel that the ads insinuate that the African American player crashing into the player guarding him as he goes up for the dunk is gay. If so, that insinuation in and of itself is not only insensitive and homophobic, but it is also ridiculous.

Don’t get me wrong; if Nike planned this out with their ad agency in some misguided attempt to lose rather than make money on a new shoe that would be the basis of its Olympic campaign— well then they would deserve my rebuke. But I think in this case, one too many individuals overreacted.

Taken in context, to me the ad is not offensive or insensitive to any group. And while I agree that there are some pretty hateful, insensitive, discriminatory, offensive, racist, and homophobic ad campaigns out there, I just don’t believe that this is one of them.

As a nation, we have to be sensitive to the feelings of other individuals who are of different races, religions, sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity, etc. But we also have to realize that being oversensitive and seeking the bad in the relatively harmless is also a step in the wrong direction.