Football star Kurt Zouma has been having what probably is the worst week of his career. This comes after a video of him slapping and kicking one of his cats was released on Snapchat by his brother.
So far, Kurt has had to pay a £250,000 fine to his club and his cats have been seized by the RSPCA. He could also potentially face four years in jail. There is also a petition online with almost 300,000 signatures which asks ‘the Metropolitan Police and RSPCA carry out an urgent investigation and prosecute the perpetrators of this heinous act’
Adidas has since cancelled his contract worth £100,000 a year. At this point a lot of people feel he has had too many penalties on his head and they have taken to twitter to start a #boycottadidas movement. Many other fans have also added he phrase “I stand with Kurt”.
Adidas has sponsored many athletes over the years including footballers like Paul Pogba, Toni Kroos, Leo Messi and Mo Salah. in the USA, Adidas has built much of its name though associating with black superstars. Popular black athletes and entertainers like James Harden, Candace Parker and Kanye West endorse its products. Adidas also has a partnership with Beyonce Knowles.
Although Adidas publicly supports black superstars, some of its black workers spoke out to The New York Times about the unfriendly work environment. Black employees at the company’s North American headquarters in Portland describe a workplace culture that contradicts the brand’s image. Workers described feeling marginalized and sometimes discriminated against.
By boycotting Adidas, people aim to show their disgruntlement with the sportswear manufacturing giant. Although it may seem like Kurt is being penalized for the actions in his video, bigger forces are at play. Racism continues to penetrate through societies despite efforts made to raise awareness and educate the general public. And it is something that Kurt and many other superstars put up with throughout their careers.