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Last summer, Colin Kaepernick refused to stand up during the national anthem, an act of defiance that divided the NFL and sparked an endless number of Hot Takes since his initial protest. Many people have suggested the league’s decline in TV ratings this season can be partially contributed to fans boycotting games in response to the dissidence exhibited by a number of players who have taken a knee since the actions of the possibly blackballed quarterback.
However, fans haven’t been the only ones to revolt. A number of companies threatened to pull their sponsorships into the season, and the CEO of Papa John’s went as far as to suggest the protests were responsible for a drop in pizza sales. He eventually issued a bizarre apology, but it turns out he isn’t the only producer of a gameday staple to think his business is suffering because of the supposedly disrespectful actions of the league’s athletes.
Bloomberg reports Sanderson Farms Inc.— one of the country’s largest chicken suppliers— is pointing to the protests as a major factor in a drop in sales over the past three months. The price of chicken wings spiked earlier this year, but they’ve gradually declined in price since the NFL season kicked off. During an earnings call on Thursday, CEO Joe F. Sanderson Jr. said vendors think players taking a knee is responsible for a decline in revenue:
“The only thing puzzling me right now is wings. We’ve been talking to our wing customers and they’re the ones that are telling us that they’re seeing less traffic in their stores. They attribute that to the NFL.”
If you need me, I’ll be sobbing hysterically in a corner lamenting the company’s loss of profits due to athletes exercising their freedom of speech.