Subway franchisees want to give U.S. soccer star Rapinoe the boot
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe is quickly racking up yellow cards in the court of public opinion.
First, the Olympic legend was slammed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who called her bronze medal winning team “left-wing maniacs” who lost because they were too woke.
And now, according to the New York Post, a group of Subway franchisees are pressuring the fast-food giant to give her a red card and expulsion from the game.
Rapinoe became a pitchwoman for the sandwich shop last spring but in the overheated American political climate, the franchisees are claiming the 36-year-old athlete/activist is alienating customers.
Rapinoe kneeling at the Tokyo Olympics didn’t help. Getting defeated by arch-rival Canada didn’t help. Or maybe the tone of her commercials caused indigestion.
In one ad, Rapinoe knocks a burrito out of a man’s hands by kicking a soccer ball at him.
Response? Meh.
By last month, some Subway owners gathered on a discussion forum and said ‘Game Over.’
One franchise owner posted a photo of a note from a customer taped to the front of his shop.
It read: “Boycott Subway until Subway fires the anti-American … Megan Rapinoe, the creep who kneels for our beloved National Anthem!”
The owner said the ad should be pulled and that he was tired of “apologizing.”
“We are so politically divided in this country and Subway should have done more careful due diligence, without a doubt, before choosing [Rapinoe],” John Gordon of Pacific Management Consulting Group told The Post.
Subway doesn’t own any of its nearly U.S. 22,000 locations. Instead, it charges franchisees 4.5% of their revenue for a national advertising fund and controls how the money is spent.
But operators in red states are adding extra beef.
One Arizona operator said: “Spending our money to make a political statement is completely and totally out of bounds.”
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For a lark during my interior design days, I designed a restaurant called Cry-Babies, it was to be staffed by pregnant waitresses and customers were to sit in high chairs and made to wear bibs. I doubt it would have worked in the 1980s but I’m sure it would today.
concept restaurants were all the rage, 40 years ago. subway = cheap bread, flavorless veggies, and turkey based lunchmeat sandwiches... yuk.
The franchisees have a valid point here.
Why do something so controversial (regardless of where one stands on Rapinoe)?
...but, but, but, IOKIYAR
Dude, this is business, not politics.
WTF does being a Republican (besides just your insane, overwhelming, all-consuming hatred of them) have to do with Sunway hiring a controversial figure as spokeswoman?
"Dude", it's both.
Not for the franchisees, it is all business for them.
Which is the point of the article.
The point of the article is the growing cancel culture directed at Rapinoe that was started by Trump. Those franchise owners should take buckets solace from your comment at 3.1.1.
Denying that Rapinoe is and was controversial independent of Trump is denying reality
Subway has been struggling for some time now, and corporate decisions without input from those paying the bills is not going to save them.
I'm surprised it took Subway so long to dump her!
Cancel culture cuts both ways. The right learned from the left. Maybe corporations will finally learn to stay out of politics in advertisement? Nah, until the right closes the gap on cancel culture they will continue to bend to the left.
like chikfila and in and out burger?
Which became the number one seller of chicken in the world AFTER "woke leftists" held their little boycott?
LMAO!
Absolutely.
Completely the opposite. The "right"...conservative/Christian/establishment... has been "canceling" shit at least since Copernicus.
Subway knew she was an activist way before they hired her. Doesn't mean she won't lose her job though. Sometimes rights come at a cost.
Kind of the point the franchisees are making here.
The franchisees (small businesses) didn't hire her
I don't believe he read the article.
Did those franchises hire Steph Curry, Serena Williams or Tom Brady?
No, they did not.
All hired at corporate level. Individual franchises have zero say in the matter
She is most likely on contract with them. She may end up suing them to be paid for the run of the contract if they stop paying her.
A self righteous, judgmental progressive happily taking millions for a few hours work from struggling franchisees (many of whom are immigrants) is perfectly on brand. She'll probably use the money to hire a private jet to protest climate change.
Do you think she takes in more from Subway than Steph Curry, Serena Williams or Tom Brady?
Tom Brady endorsing Subway is really quite funny. He made some ''interesting'' comments about that type of food and some say he's never been inside a Subway.
Hey, if the money is right people will say anything.
I have my doubts he's been in a Subway. He's known for being conscientious about his diet.
This is true.
The bizarre thing about this is that it's based on a photo taken about a year ago that was reposted as if it happened during the Tokyo Olympics. All of the women on the team including Rapinoe stood during the national anthem.
Tom Brady doesnt have to work another day in his life. Not even in commercials. He doesnt even have to play football anymore, although I assume that is more fun than work for him.
It's worse than that. I am pretty sure he has specifically made fun of Subway's food in the past (as not healthy) although I'd have to look up the exact circumstances.
If Subway can get an endorsement from one of football's greatest, I doubt they care about that.
Do the franchisees who are paying the bill object to those three?
Have any of you watched the Subway commercials that he is in? They directly poke fun of the fact Brady doesn't eat at Subway; much the less bread.
So they are paying Brady to say that he doesn't eat Subway, that's one hell of a marketing campaign. No wonder they have closed 3,000 stores in the last 3/4 years.
They named a sandwich after Brady.....Deflated Meatball Subs.
I didn't say Subway was smart.
In fact I doubt any of the athletes they have in their commercials ever eat their food.
Seems that the franchisees have a lot more problems than Rapinoe
The franchisor that hired Rapinoe exploits it franchisees shamelessly.
It's a sad situation.
If their complaints in the letter that is in the link that I posted are all true, Subway exploits the franchisees in ways that are much more devastating to them than having Rapinoe as a spokesperson.
Yawn. All franchises/businesses contribute money to candidates, political parties and legislative agendas. For Subway to critisize Rapone for making a political statement is not only absurd, it is also absurd.
No. They don't.
Small businesses in particular (like most franchisees) don't have money to spend on things like that.
To clarify, it's some of the franchisees who object.
I understand. However, Subway, Corporate Subway does contribute. Mom and Pop franchises not so much but I was not referring to them. Franchises often object to what Corporate does, but----------they follow the dictates or get out. Simple as that.
If you read the article Franchises contribute a percentage of their revenue for a national advertising campaign. That is on top of royalties for operating under the Subway brand.
So Mom & Pop franchises make up the revenue for the Subway corporations; but Subway controls everything. Almost sounds like a Ponzi scheme.
Maybe if Subway actually owned some their own stores they would be in a better position to dictate; or at least would understand the problems their franchises are going through.
While I find some celebrity endorsers entertaining like John Lithgow for Progressive Soup, although you only hear his voice. I buy the soup because I like it. I have never bought a product simply because a recognizable face or voice endorses it.
Get your snacks at Tim Horton's instead - at least that chain honours a hockey great.