Why The Dallas Cowboys Are Facing Backlash Over A Coffee Partnership
Coffee isn't something that's usually polarizing. Either a person likes it, or they don't. If anything, people love to talk about daily Starbucks order with anyone who'll listen. But gun-themed coffee? That has the potential to draw some serious ire.
The Dallas Cowboys, typically known as "America's Team," announced a marketing agreement on July 4 with Black Rifle Coffee Co., which the football giant has deemed "America's coffee," according to FanNation. The coffee brand features flavors like "Murdered Out," "Silencer Smooth," and "AK-47 Espresso," among others.
Although the partnership rollout on Independence Day was described as "long-planned," many critics were quick to point out the "tone-deaf" nature of the move, especially following the Uvalde shootings that saw 19 children and two adults murdered by gun violence in the Texas town. The announcement has also been decried as ill-timed thanks to the shooting deaths of seven people at a July 4 parade in Highland Park, Illinois (although to be fair, the roll-out probably happened before that tragedy). Timing, as they say, is everything, and many people think the Cowboys didn't get the memo.
What people are saying about the Dallas Cowboys's announcement
The Cowboys made their announcement via Twitter, complete with some pretty standard coffee and football b-roll footage. The caption read, "#CowboysNation, please welcome America's Coffee to America's Team," and then went on to say that they're "celebrating America's birthday," by giving away home game tickets and Black Rifle Coffee subscriptions all week.
Some people had intensely negative feelings about the situation. One Twitter commenter said, "Is there anything more American than guns and mass shootings?" Another decried it as "despicable," saying, "Cowboys fans should simply not attend Dallas Cowboys games, and ESPN, ABC, and NBC should not broadcast any of their 2023 season."
That said, many others lined up to support the veteran-owned coffee company, with one person saying that the company has "ALWAYS given preference to veteran-owned businesses such as their vendors and suppliers. They hire Veterans at every facet of their management and production. How many companies do that????" Another person said, "I'm sorry, this has what to do with those shootings?" Though the Cowboys are America's team, this collaboration is yet another topic that's dividing the nation.