Appalachian environmentalists outrage has made Nike re-vise a recent campaign where the combined the West Virginia University football team and the coal industry. The uniforms, number 29 on the helmets, posters and commercial were said to be a tribute to the 29 miners killed in the April 5th explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine.
The ads and campaign were a clear ‘pimping out’ of the Mountaineers in a time when the coal war is raging hot. They key here…the Upper Big Branch mine is an underground mine and the Nike video and posters depicted a mountaintop removal mine site. After clearly stating their rage the athletic apparel giant said Thursday it will modify a graphic depicting a mountaintop removal mine.
Nike issued a statement through the university, repeating what the school had said earlier in the day: The new black and white Pro Combat uniform was designed to honor the heritage of coal mining and 29 men killed in the April explosion at Upper Big Branch mine.
"We are modifying the graphic of the player on our website to address concerns," the statement said.
The Mountaineers will wear the coal-themed uniform for only one game this season, the Nov. 26 Backyard Brawl at Pittsburgh. Nike paid for the new gear.
The problem environmental activists had with the ad was not the color of the gear - off-white that appears coated in coal dust - or the number 29 on the coal-black helmets. It's the depiction of a mountaintop removal mine behind the image of a player, complete with flat, treeless mountaintop, the sound of an explosion and the image of falling rock.
The ad appeared to be a tacit endorsement of the controversial form of strip mining, the activists argued. A mountaintop removal mine site had nothing to do with honoring the fallen underground miners and was a clear use of the coal industry to manipulate a high dollar situation to their advantage.
The ad plunged both the school and the world's largest athletic shoe and clothing maker into one of West Virginia's most emotionally charged and political divisive issues.
West Virginia University professors have put out several reports stating the irreversible damage done to the environment and to coal field communities. By joining Nike in this campaign West Virginia University shamed the great state it is supposed to proudly represent.
source Associated Press
Comments
There was absolutely no shame in this tribute to 29 working men who died doing their job. Subverting Nike/WVU's memorial to the honored dead for political traction is shamful. Shame on the examiner for publishing this story!
To L. Wellstead The 29 miners lost in the April 5th explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine were UNDERGROUND miners. Shame on WVU and Nike for letting the coal industry use them to promote the devastating practice of Mountaintop Removal Mining. The Coal industry and Nike have not honored the 29 miners just pimped out the Mountaineers for their own selfish reasons.
It doesn't promote anything. The majority of the people watching the video have little to no understanding of the practice, nor does the video overtly glorify mountain top removal. Seriously, find something more pressing to occupy your time or lower your levels of sensitivity. What you perceived as a split second glorification of a destructive practice went unnoticed to the rest of the world and pointing it out will do nothing to change the practice. This is not the platform for activism.
Matt Ashby if the majority of readers do not know about the practice then they need to be informed. You asked that I lower my levels of sensitivity..that is difficult when the practice of MTR is in my county, affecting the water where my children fish and swim. I find it sad that as a fellow WV you too must be uninformed on the subject. My column is 'Environmental" it is the place for activism. Hear me roar.
Everyone should b ashamed of themselves for mocking these jesrreys'd DEDICATED to the fallen 29. it shows GREAT RESPECT from the university and nike. SHAME on u all for saying these things. U care more about mountain tiop removal than the university and probably the 29 brave souls who lost there lives that day in april. all u alll are worried about is mountain top removal?!?!?! SHAME ON YOU!
If the University wanted to just honor the fallen miners the 29 on the helmets was sufficent. To put a MTR site on a video and poster promoting the Mountaineers is what is SHAMEFUL. Nick if you are a true mountaineer than you should be seriously concerned about what the coal industry is doing to our great state. We are the Mountaineers brave and strong what will we be once our mountains are gone?
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