It wasn’t enough to stop widespread condemnation of Pacquiao, who has long opposed same-sex marriage, and has previously had to apologize for anti-gay remarks. A petition on Change.org even called for a boycott of Nike until it dropped Pacquiao, who has a long-standing relationship with Nike. He had recently signed a new deal with the company, reportedly worth a few million dollars.

Nike, meanwhile, has been vocal in its support of LGBT rights. In June, it launched the #BeTrue Collection, “inspired by the LGBT community,” and it has a corporate team dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion within the company.

Maintaining a relationship with Pacquiao would have been risky for Nike’s image. His fighting career is on the wane, and he’s spending more time involved in Filipino politics. With each passing week, Nike’s sponsorship was less of a boxer and more of a Filipino congressman.

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