Did the Baltimore-based Under Armour just Zumbo itself?
Time will tell, but following a change.org petition, Under Armour dumped their sponsored huntress, Sarah Bowmar mere days after her husband legally harvested a bear in Canada using a spear. Now, the people of the hunting world are pushing back, starting their own boycott of Under Armour and burning the UA products they already own.
Here’s how it all went down:
Hunting enthusiasts Josh and Sarah Bowmar posted a video on their YouTube channel of Josh taking a bear with a spear. That’s right, Josh speared the bear, kind of like hunting was done for tens of thousands of years. The bear was taken legally, ethically and morally. Of course for some, the only responsible and safe way to harvest an animal is to buy it at the grocery store, pre-sliced or ground.
The anti-hunting crowd got wind of the video and exploded with their own special brand of social justice warrior righteous indignation. The pitchfork mafia then launched a petition to pressure Under Armour into dumping their sponsorship of the hunter’s wife, Sarah Bowmar.
Business Insider reported that Under Armour signed Sarah earlier this year. She was the centerpiece of the company’s very first women’s hunting campaign, seeking to capitalize on the increasing women’s athletic apparel market.
Illinois social justice warrior Kelsey Brickl launched the change.org petition. I’m embarrassed to say Illinois has more than its fair share of anti-hunting radicals.
A mere 4000 supporters and not even 48-hours after receiving the petition, Under Armour cancelled their sponsorship of Bowman.
From Business Insider:
Under Armour has ended its endorsement deal with hunter and fitness star Sarah Bowmar after she posted a video to YouTube of her husband, Josh, brutally killing a black bear with a 7-foot homemade spear, The Daily Mirror first reported.
Brickl crowed about her victory, posting her reply from Under Armour at Change.org.
Victory! Under Armour Severs Ties with Bowmars!
Under Armour shared similar verbiage to Business Insider:
“The method used to harvest this animal was reckless and we do not condone it. Under Armour is dedicated to the hunting community and supports hunting that is conducted in compliance with applicable federal, state and local laws and hunting practices that ensure a responsible and safe harvest of the animal.”
If Under Armour is so dedicated to the hunting community, why then were they so quick to dump one of their sponsored hunters when her spouse hunted in compliance with all applicable laws, using hunting practices that ensured a responsible and safe harvest of the animal?
Next question: How long will it be before the social justice warriors demand another pound of flesh after getting taste of Under Armour’s willingness to throw their own overboard for doing that which they love in a legal, moral and ethical manner?
What’s more, how does that make other Under Armour-sponsored people feel? Particularly seeing how, just for doing what they love in a legal, moral, and ethical fashion, Under Armour can easily be pressured into throwing them under the bus to placate the social media pitchfork mafia? Now that the anti-hunters have tasted the blood in the water, how long will it be before even more of them move in seeking another kill?
News of the Baltimore-based apparel company’s quick surrender to the SJWs is still spreading.
So while hunters have been killing animals with spears since the dawn of mankind, Under Armour has elected to deem Josh and Sarah’s actions as “reckless” despite their legality and the quick recovery of Josh’s bear.
As this story continues to unfold, the question remains if Under Armour will cave in to the pressures of hunters who are urging them to rethink their stance on sponsoring Sarah Bowmar the way they caved to the pressure from the anti-hunting masses.
We also eagerly await comments from the litany of high-profile hunters in the Under Armour camp including Lee & Tiffany Lakosky, Mark & Terry Drury, Jim Shockey, Eva Shockey and Cameron Hanes among others. Will these sponsored hunters speak up in support of the injustice their former teammate faces? Or will their social media feeds go surprisingly quiet in this matter? Only time will tell.
Bowhunting.com has updated their post with some videos from notables in the hunting world.
The message: Let Under Armour know what you think of them by voting with your wallet.
