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Every company sponsoring the Los Angeles Clippers decided doing so is a terrible idea after owner Donald Sterling's repulsive views of minorities are at the forefront more than ever.
Red Bull is "suspending all team-related marketing activities," the energy drink company said. State Farm announced it would "take a pause" from its relationship with the team. “We are monitoring the situation and we’ll continually assess our options," State Farm said, per a statement. CNBC's Ryan Ruggiero reported KIA (who also sponsor one of the Clippers' biggest stars, Blake Griffin) decided to suspend its sponsorship with the team. Amtrak is not sure whether it will renew their sponsorship with the team next season. (Update, 5:27 p.m. Corona just informed Buzzfeed it would suspend its agreement with the team, which means every corporate sponsor has fled the team since this weekend.)
Long-term sponsorship relationships are ending, too. CarMax's nine-year deal with the Clippers ended Monday. “CarMax finds the statements attributed to the Clippers’ owner completely unacceptable,” the company told TMZ. CNBC also reported Virgin America's termination of their sponsorship deal.
Complicating the matter is existing relationships between Clippers sponsors and the Clippers' star players. Red Bull has a separate agreement with Blake Griffin, the Clippers starting power forward, while State Farm sponsors starting point guard Chris Paul. Both of those agreements remain unchanged.