La Sportiva Drops a Brand Ambassador Over Cyberbullying Claims
Outdoor standout La Sportiva has dropped professional rock climber Joe Kinder from its brand ambassador roster amid claims of cyberbullying.
“La Sportiva is a family-owned company, and our ambassadors are an extension of that family. La Sportiva ambassadors agree to act professionally in all circumstances and at all times because their actions and words reflect on us as a brand. Due to recent events, we have chosen to end our relationship with Joe Kinder,” the brand wrote in a statement on Instagram yesterday. “Despite supporting Joe for many years and our admiration for his talent as a climber, his choices and actions on social media do not meet the standard of behavior that we set for our ambassadors.”
Kinder admitted via Instagram that he had a private account with a small group of followers that would make “inside jokes and memes poking fun at people.” (He also wrote that the account has since been deleted.) One of Kinder’s alleged victims is Sasha DiGiulian, a professional rock climber with sponsorships that include La Sportiva and Adidas.
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DiGiulian took to the social media platform to address Kinder’s actions.
“I have received many messages about the ridicule that someone has made about me and my career. I have tried reaching out maturely, with no response. I find it incredibly sad that he has chosen this road. Perhaps because I am an independent female who has made a career out of my chosen path that irritates him?” DiGiulian wrote.
Kinder posted an apology via Instagram.
“I’ve always had a bit of a harsh sense of humor as I grew up a skater-kid punk. I’d rile my friends with pranks or nicknames, as it was done out of love. Fast forward to my adult years and I still enjoy joking and never taking ourselves too seriously but there’s a point when it’s too much,” he wrote. “Bullying or harmful content is nothing I’d like to be connected to and I’m not proud to have offended people.”
Kinder continued, “I went overboard and would like to publicly apologize, Sasha, I’m sorry. I respect women and support our current era for our women as we’re in a historical moment of time. It was not pro, kind, human, or yielding of anything positive. Social media is great and I want to share content to inspire and not cause harm. The brands I work with support women on a major level and I’m dang proud to affiliate with that. My actions are by me and I own it. I apologize to anyone that was hurt by my tasteless acts, I’m learning from this.”
Prior to being dropped by La Sportiva, another sponsor of Kinder, Black Diamond, parted ways with him.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiVS-kjBw3q/?hl=en&taken-by=joekinder
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiYh5k7n3u8/?taken-by=blackdiamond
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