Mississippi-based tech firm C Spire made headlines over the weekend when it canceled its Olympics advertising in protest over the games' controversial opening ceremony. It appears the company is standing alone.
The opening ceremony in Paris on Friday drew outrage from some viewers who accused the organizers of mocking Christianity by parodying "The Last Supper" in a live performance that featured drag queens. Meanwhile, those behind the controversial segment insist the scene wasn't intended to offend Christians but rather to honor the Greek god of wine, Dionysus.
Days later, debate over whether the performance was offensive continues, but the Olympics' sponsors appear unmoved. FOX Business reached out to several U.S.-based Olympics sponsors for comment on whether the backlash over the opening ceremonies would affect their support, but received no responses.
This as the Olympic Games continued with the U.S. women's gymnastics team taking home the gold in team competition.
WHAT IS C SPIRE, THE COMPANY THAT PULLED OLYMPIC ADVERTISING?
Whether they approve of the opening ceremony or not, many Olympic sponsors are already so heavily invested – monetarily and otherwise – in the Summer Games that yanking their support could mean doing more harm than good.
Companies that supply technology for the Olympics' operations or apparel for athletes, for instance, risk disrupting the event and inviting bad press on their own brands by backing out after the event is already underway. No company wants to be seen as unsupportive of the Olympic athletes, who had nothing to do with the opening ceremony.
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C Spire made that clear in its own statement when pulling its advertising, saying it "is supportive of our athletes who have worked so hard to be a part of the Olympics. However, we will not be a part of the offensive and unacceptable mockery of the Last Supper, which is why we're pulling advertising from the Olympics."
The nature and amount of advertising C Spire pulled is unclear, and the company would not elaborate when contacted by FOX Business for those details. The tech firm is not listed as an official sponsor of the Olympic Games.
But pulling advertising from the Olympics can be a major sacrifice for some companies, which value the coveted spots either to reach regional viewers or consumers worldwide.
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Coca-Cola, which has a 96-year relationship with the Olympics, is in a joint top sponsorship of the Summer Games with Chinese dairy group Mengniu. Combined, the companies have paid an estimated $3 billion to the International Olympic Committee for the Olympic Games from 2021 to 2032, according to ISPO.
