Dear Nike, Here's Why Football and Coal Mining Don't Mix

Up front, let me tell you that I'm no artist. But believe me when I say that Nike's attempt at memorializing the 29 coal miners who died when Massey Energy's mine exploded in April displayed a pretty amazing lack of taste. Which might be fine, if only it actually made a modicum of sense.

Unfortunately, their memorial displayed neither.

The controversy started the week when the sports gear company aired ads to promote the tricked-out football uniform it had designed for West Virginia University's team the Mountaineers. The uniforms themselves were meant as a tribute to the disaster, which was the worst mining tragedy in decades. They feature a smudged black number 29 and an off-white coal dusted color. So far, so good.

The problem? The ad and the web site graphic. Not only did the backdrop glorify the most controversial and destructive form of coal mining that exists in Appalachia, the funny thing is that it didn't even relate in any way to the disaster.

Let's see, the Massey Energy explosion occurred in an underground mine and may very likely have been the result of negligent safety practices from a company with a laundry list of violations that would eat up a whole forest.

The memorial ads actually depict an above ground strip mine of the worst kind -- a mountaintop removal mine. The backdrop depicts a flat barren landscape, the sound of an explosion decapitating the mountaintop, and falling rock. The football player has his hand raised in triumph: "Prepare for Combat."

The voice-over is even worse, as Jeff Biggers notes on the Huffington Post. It says:

Every day, the coal miners of West Virginia put it on the line for their families. That’s why every Saturday in the fall, the Mountaineer football team is willing to put it all on the line for them, with a never-say-die attitude and toughness you have to live to understand.

It’s just the way things are done in West Virginia — hard work and determination.

The likeness between a football player "putting it all on the line" and a coal miner is just a teensy bit exaggerated here.  As Biggers says, more than 104,000 coal miners have died in the region's coal mines. As for "it's just the way things are done...," maybe Nike should have taken the time to question this statement. Biggers cites a study, one from West Virginia University professors no less, that found coal mining costs Appalachians five times more in early deaths than it provides in economic benefits to the region.

Upon seeing this ad, grownup and student activists fighting to end mountaintop removal (MTR) mining -- many who happened to be visiting Washington, DC to attend a rally this week -- were naturally pretty upset. By associating mountaintop mining with football, Nike certainly glorified the practice. In West Virginia, college football is seriously a big deal, with the state not having professional teams and all.

Meanwhile, all throughout Appalachia, MTR mining is devastating the landscape as forests are cleared and explosives blast through rock so that the industry can get at the coal as efficiently as possible. The waste pollutes the water when it's dumped into valleys and streams and puts worker and community health at risk.

I'm not going to rail at Nike, which is based in Oregon, for the ad. It's laudable that the company paid for the uniforms and wants to help remember the disaster, and I'll give it the benefit of the doubt that maybe some ignorant designers and executives didn't really think the ad through. And anyway, in a relatively quick response to the outcry, Nike announced yesterday it would modify the advertisement to remove references to MTR mining. Already, the background of the website graphic depicts the stadium, not a mining site. Both Nike and the university, which approved the ad, insist their only intention was to honor the disaster.

I'm a little bit more concerned about the university's involvement here. Let's get real -- West Virginia has been defined by coal for decades. It cannot claim ignorance. Even the football coach has got to know the difference between an above ground mine and an below ground mine, and would be well- aware of the sensitivities surrounding different mining techniques. And this is definitely not the first time West Virginia University has been in trouble for its "close ties and blatant promotion of the coal industry," as The Charleston Gazette's Ken Ward notes.

So while it's good that Nike modified the ads, but I think the university could manage a far better tribute than a uniform and an offensive ad. The Mountaineers will sport the special uniform once: On November 26, when the Mountaineers will play against their arch rivals in Pittsburgh. Wouldn't it be great if West Virginia University could use that day to really honor worker lives and push us towards a mining safety reforms and a cleaner energy future?

Photo credit: Marcokenmoeller via Flickr

Follow Change.org's Environment page  on Facebook and Twitter.