Misty Copeland, The Rock, Steph Curry Slam Under Armour CEO’s Trump Support

Beth Greenfield
·Senior Editor
Misty Copeland has spoken out against the pro-Trump statements of Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank. (Photo: Getty Images)
Misty Copeland has spoken out against the pro-Trump statements of Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank. (Photo: Getty Images)

Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank may have spoken out in favor of Donald Trump, but don’t expect the brand’s athletes to get onboard — at least when it comes to NBA player Steph Curry, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, or ballet star Misty Copeland. All denounced Plank’s statements this week.

“To have such a pro-business president is something that is a real asset for the country,” Plank, whose company is in the midst of a sales slump, told CNBC about Trump on Tuesday. “People can really grab that opportunity.”

Golden State Warriors guard Curry, however, took the opportunity to respond to Plank on Wednesday, telling the San Jose Mercury News, “I agree with that description [of asset], if you remove the ‘et.'”

Steph Curry also spoke out against the statements of Kevin Plank. (Photo: Getty Images)
Steph Curry also spoke out against the statements of Kevin Plank. (Photo: Getty Images)

The Rock responded on Instagram, noting, in part, “I appreciate and welcome the feedback from people who disagree (and agree) with Kevin Plank’s words on CNBC, but these are neither my words, nor my beliefs. His words were divisive and lacking in perspective. … I partner with brands I trust and with people who share my same values. That means a commitment to diversity, inclusion, community, open-mindedness and some serious hard work. But it doesn’t mean that I or my team will always agree with the opinion of everyone who works there, including its executives.”

I appreciate and welcome the feedback from people who disagree (and agree) with Kevin Plank’s words on CNBC, but these are neither my words, nor my beliefs. His words were divisive and lacking in perspective. Inadvertently creating a situation where the personal political opinions of UA’s partners and its employees were overshadowed by the comments of its CEO. A good company is not solely defined by its CEO. A good company is not defined by the athlete or celebrity who partners with them. A good company is not a single person. A good company is a team, a group of brothers and sisters committed to working together each and every day to provide for their families and one another and the clients they serve. We don’t partner with a brand casually. I partner with brands I trust and with people who share my same values. That means a commitment to diversity, inclusion, community, open-mindedness and some serious hard work. But it doesn’t mean that I or my team will always agree with the opinion of everyone who works there, including its executives. Great leaders inspire and galvanize the masses during turbulent times, they don’t cause people to divide and disband. My responsibility here is not only to the global audience we serve, but also to the thousands of workers who pour blood, sweat, and tears into making Under Armour strong. A diverse group of hardworking men and women who possess integrity, respect and compassion for one another and the world they live in. Debate is healthy. But in a time of widespread disagreement, so is loyalty. I feel an obligation to stand with this diverse team, the American and global workers, who are the beating heart and soul of Under Armour and the reason I chose to partner with them. My commitment is as real as my sweat and callouses that thicken daily. #CommittedToThePeople

A photo posted by therock (@therock) on Feb 9, 2017 at 10:36am PST

Copeland, a dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, chimed in to express her disagreement with Plank on Thursday, also on Instagram.

“I have always appreciated the great support and platform that Under Armour has given me to represent my community, gender, and career on the world stage,” she wrote. “However, I strongly disagree with Kevin Plank’s recent comments in support of Trump as recently reported. Those of you who have supported and followed my career know that the one topic I’ve never backed away from speaking openly about is the importance of diversity and inclusion. It is imperative to me that my partners and sponsors share this belief.”

Copeland went on to note that she had spoken privately with Plank about the matter.

I have always appreciated the great support and platform that Under Armour has given me to represent my community, gender, and career on the world stage. However, I strongly disagree with Kevin Plank’s recent comments in support of Trump as recently reported. Those of you who have supported and followed my career know that the one topic I’ve never backed away from speaking openly about is the importance of diversity and inclusion. It is imperative to me that my partners and sponsors share this belief. I have spoken at length with Kevin privately about the matter, but as someone who takes my responsibility as a role model very seriously, it is important to me that he, and UA, take public action to clearly communicate and reflect our common values in order for us to effectively continue to work towards our shared goal of trying to motivate ALL people to be their best selves.

A photo posted by Misty Copeland (@mistyonpointe) on Feb 9, 2017 at 10:14am PST

Curry told the San Jose Mercury News that he spoken with Plank and others at Under Armour on Tuesday, and that Plank had explained that his comments on Trump were meant “exclusively from a business perspective.” (Plank had also told CNBC that POTUS, he believes, “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.”)

At least one Under Armour athlete, however, has sided with Plank. In an interview with the Sporting News, Atlanta Hawks guard Kent Bazemore said regarding the CEO’s comments, “That’s kind of what my thoughts were when [Trump} won the presidency. Have a businessman in office, because that’s the way the world’s trending. … We’ve been living some stuff that’s been written for 200 to 300 years. The world has changed. The world has gotten a little smarter. It’s good that we have somebody that’s hip in that aspect to try to change it.”

Plank’s comments came on the heels of statements from rival sportswear brands Nike and Adidas — and, less directly, Puma — that disagreed with Trump’s court-challenged immigration ban.

Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank (Photo: Getty Images)
Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank (Photo: Getty Images)

And those statements were in sharp contrast to what the public heard from New Balance after the election, when a spokesperson for the company referred to policies of the Trans-Pacific Partnership by saying, “With President-elect Trump, we feel things are going to move in the right direction.” That was all white-supremacist site the Daily Stormer needed to call New Balance the “official shoes of white people,” prompting a counterstatement from New Balance about not tolerating bigotry, as well as an offer from Reebok to offer new sneaks to anyone who had tossed or burned their NBs.

Stay tuned for more Under Armour–related opinions, which are sure to come.

Related: Will Under Armour Be the Latest Sneaker Brand to Suffer After Trump Endorsement?

Related: Already Trending at New York Fashion Week: Politics

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