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Bubba Wallace Scores Lucrative Columbia Sponsorship Deal After NASCAR Noose Debacle

NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace scored yet another lucrative sponsorship deal on Wednesday, when Columbia Sportswear Co. announced that he will be the company’s new brand ambassador.

Bubba Wallace Scores Columbia Sponsorship

This deal adds to the growing list of recent endorsements Wallace has scored. New deals continue to pour in despite the driver’s public spectacle, and potentially because of his emboldened activism.

In a matter of months, Bubba Wallace successfully pushed for NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag, publicly reported a hate crime, and openly mocked a fellow driver’s Christian faith.

Daily Mail reported that Joe Boyle, Columbia Brand president, said that the company first took notice of Wallace during the coronavirus pandemic, when NASCAR became one of the first sports to start competition again back in May.

“With COVID there’s not a lot of sports that have been on and with popular culture and everything Bubba has stood up for, we had really been watching him as he rose to national attention,” Boyle said. “Everything he stood for, in terms of his fortitude, courage, conviction around what he is standing up for, that’s what really Columbia has stood up for all these years, as well.”

NASCAR ‘Noose’ Investigation

Bubba Wallace drew mixed reactions from fans after he successfully spearheaded NASCAR’s Confederate flag ban earlier this year.

Then in June, Wallace claimed to be a victim of a hate crime when he found what he claimed was a “noose” in his garage before a race. The No. 43 Chevrolet drew national attention with his account of that “despicable act of racism and hatred”.

But the FBI found there was no “noose” and no hate crime. After a thorough FBI investigation, officials concluded that the “noose” was just a piece of rope that had been in the garage since October. Long before the garage was ever assigned to Wallace.

Despite the fact Wallace has never apologized for this national spectacle, he continues to score endorsement deals.

Lucrative deals with big brands like Columbia. Who said that it was actually Bubba’s love for outdoor activities that drew them to the competitive driver.

“It wasn’t the (activism) that stood out for us, it was that he grew up in the outdoors,” Boyle said. “His favorite activities to do outside the track is photography, hiking, biking, golf – it’s just a natural fit.”

Bubba Wallace Mocks Christian NASCAR Driver

Wallace’s sportsmanship certainly wasn’t what scored him this deal either. The driver’s conduct behind the scenes in recent weeks has been anything but positive.

Just last month, he mocked Michael McDowell’s Christian faith after losing to him in a race.

“People say he’s one of the nicest guys in the garage, can’t wait for the God-fearing text that he’s going to send me about preaching and praise and respect,” Wallace said of McDowell. “What a joke he is.”

Not stopping there, Wallace also showed just what a sore loser he is by leaving the bumper of his wrecked vehicle in front of McDowell’s door.

Is this the kind of person you would want representing your brand?

We wouldn’t think so. But this is 2020. So I guess that being seen as “woke” is desirable.

And that gives Bubba Wallace not just a free pass to behave any way he wants behind the scenes. But also a major payday from a big brand.

James Conrad

James Conrad’s passion for politics is only overshadowed by his longstanding interest in Hollywood. His unique perspective as a gay conservative fuels him to challenge celebrity views and those who think they have a right to tell anyone how to think or vote. James proudly wields his minority point of view to combat identity politics and cut through his typecast. Fun fact: James’ guilty pleasure is the British royal family.