As Kid Rock sees it, without actually saying anything, Bud Light made a political statement when it partnered in a very minor way with the transgender social-media influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
The Anheuser-Busch (BUD) -) brand did not make Mulvaney its spokesperson or put her in a flashy television ad. Instead, it sent her some Bud Light cans with her face on them so she would share the virtues of the beer brand with her social-media following.
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That following probably does not include Rock or many of his fans, but the singer was nonetheless outraged. He took out his anger legendarily in a video, where he used an automatic weapon to shoot up cases of the beer.
It was a transphobic stunt designed to enhance Rock's standing with the right-wing Donald Trump audience, which the once "Rebel Soul" has embraced in recent years.
That stand, however, wasn't limited to Rock. His cause was embraced by a number of country performers looking to enhance their bona fides with the same audience.
Travis Tritt and John Rich of Big & Rich fame both made a showing that Bud Light was not served in their bars or at their concerts.
Rock, who kicked off the boycotts that led to the beer losing about 26% of its sales, never actually followed through. His bar was still selling the beer, and footage of him drinking Bud Light at a concert emerged on TMZ.
The boycott has been devastating for Bud Light, which lost its position as the top-selling beer in the world. Now, former New York Yankees World-Series-winning pitcher David Wells has weighed in on the controversy, which puts it back in the spotlight (from which Anheuser-Busch has desperately tried to move away).
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The Yanks' David Wells takes on Nike, Bud Light
Anheuser-Busch has tried to move on from the Bud Light scandal mostly by acting as if it never happened. The company has admitted that it made a business mistake in bringing politics into the discussion of its beer.
The company's chief executive, Michael Doukeris, addressed Bud Light's problems during Anheuser-Busch's second-quarter-earnings call. He cited the results of research the company conducted.
"Regardless of favorability, our consumers across all sentiment groups have three points of feedback in common," the CEO said. "One, they want to enjoy their beer without a debate. Two, they want Bud Light to focus on beer. Three, they want Bud Light to concentrate on the platforms that all consumers love, such as NFL, Fields of Honor, and music."
Wells was asked during the Yankees' Old-Timers' Day Game whether he would ever drink Bud Light again. His answer was succinct.
"Nope," he replied.
The pitcher also covered the Nike (NKE) -) logo on his game jersey with tape.
"Wells also said that if he were playing today, he would rather cut a hole in his jersey to remove the Nike logo than wear it on the field. 'I hate Nike!' he said. 'They’re woke!'" the Toronto Sun reported.
That prompted an amusing response on social media from the liberal icon and former ESPN and MSNBC host Keith Olbermann, who did not believe that Wells would pass up a Bud Light.
"Bulls***. (@BoomerWells33) -) would drink wood alcohol. Another f***ing fraud," he posted.
Wells won a World Series as both a Yankee and a Toronto Blue Jay.
Olbermann has had multiple stints with ESPN and now hosts a podcast version of "Countdown," the show he made famous on MSNBC.
Bud Light continues to feel the impact of the boycott as sales have not recovered. That has pushed it behind Modelo, making it the second-best-selling beer in the U.S.
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