Thanks to pressure from activists, NBA players, and fans alike, advertisers are beginning to drop sponsorship of the LA Clippers. CarMax is leading the way immediately issuing a condemning statement.
"CarMax finds the statements attributed to the Clippers' owner completely unacceptable. These views directly conflict with CarMax's culture of respect for all individuals," a CarMax spokeswoman wrote in an email to The Huffington Post. "While we have been a proud Clippers sponsor for 9 years and support the team, fans and community, these statements necessitate that CarMax end its sponsorship."
In an interview with ESPN radio, State Farm said they’d be pulling out as well. “What I'm going to do and what I think is important from my side is I'm telling the brands immediately 'let's pull sponsorship' starting with State Farm," said Steve Stoute, CEO of Transition, the marketing firm that represents State Farm. "When you have things like this taking place, somebody has to stand up."
Removing key financial backing puts more angry pressure on the NBA to make a decision and prove the “authenticity” of the Don Sterling tapes ASAP. As of press time, CarMax and State Farm are the first. It’s likely others will follow.
Check this list of other Clippers sponsors:
Amtrak
Red Bull
Yokohama
Anheuser-Busch
Corona
Virgin America
1800-LoanMart
AQUAHydrate
