Manny Pacquiao News: 'Pacman' Unmindful Of Being Dropped By Nike For Sponsorship
Eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao does not mind losing his Nike sponsorship, amid the scandal he is currently involved in.
"Pacman" is in hot water after his remarks regarding his opposition of same-sex marriage. In a previous interview on "Bilang Pilipino," a Philippine elections coverage campaign, the boxing icon compared humans to animals, saying the former is worse than the latter for not being able to recognize the roles of males and females, as far as sexual interests are concerned.
The said statements angered a great number of people all over the world, particularly those from the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender community (LGBT). Many of his fellow Filipinos have already declared their opposition to Pacquiao and what he said, noting that many of them will no longer vote for him in the coming elections.
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Pacquiao, who is currently a Congressman for the Sarangani Province in the Southern region of the country, is also a Senatorial candidate for the upcoming 2016 national elections, which is set to take place in May. The backlash towards Pacquiao's statements also transcended through his apparel sponsor, Nike.
On Wednesday, the major sports brand decided to drop the Filipino boxer as their endorser. But despite this supposed major loss for any superstar athlete such as himself, Pacquiao remains unmindful about losing his long-time apparel sponsor.
In a report by another Philippine media outlet, ABS-CBN News, the 37-year-old prizefighter says he respects Nike's decision.
"Whatever their decision may be, it is theirs to make," Pacquiao said in Filipino. "Besides, their sponsorship only goes as far as to the clothes I will be wearing for the fight."
Despite the criticisms, Pacquiao remains adamant about his stance against same-sex marriage. In the apology he issued through his Instagram account, he says he was sorry about how he worded his statement, but also claims his views remain the same.
"As I establish my leadership, you need to be firm on your own decision (about what the right thing should be)," Pacquiao said, according to the ABS-CBN News report.
The report adds that Pacquiao is already in search for another apparel sponsor.
