When Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was accused of making racist comments in an audio recording, major sponsors of the team immediately began pulling their support.
Although they voiced their support of the fans and the players, Kia Motors America, Mercedes-Benz, State Farm Insurance, Red Bull, Anheuser-Busch and numerous other companies vowed to cut ties with the team, at least until the investigation was over.
Because of this, Staples Center staff had to cover all of the advertisements in the arena before Tuesday’s Game 5 against the Golden State Warriors. The black drapery made for quite a stark difference from what fans are used to seeing at arenas.
[tweet https://twitter.com/timkawakami/status/461284888709062656Â align=’center’%5D
[tweet https://twitter.com/ReporterClaudia/status/461280447213756416Â align=’center’%5D
[tweet https://twitter.com/ReporterClaudia/status/461288425937567744Â align=’center’%5D
There isn’t much word on whether or not the ban on Donald Sterling will cause the sponsors to reinstate their support, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the ads back at the Staples Center soon.
