People passing by American Airlines Center on Saturday were greeted by signs seemingly meant to highlight some of the controversial policies of the arena’s namesake, such as race-based hiring practices and other “woke” policies.
As attendees filed into the center for the evening’s high-profile boxing match between Jake Paul and Nate Diaz, they encountered the signs, some of which were designed to look like advertisements for the fight. The signs were located in different places around the arena in Victory Park and other parts of downtown Dallas.
Some of the signs contained text that read, “Welcome to woke American Airlines! My pronouns are he/she/it/lost/baggage.”
Another read, “We have first class, business class, and woke class, where your middle seat can identify as a window seat.”
The signs were likely referencing American Airlines’ very public messaging on social issues. The company recently sponsored LGBTQ Pride events in Dallas and boasted that it was “the only airline to achieve a perfect score when the [pro-LGBTQ Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index] first launched in 2002 and is the only airline to receive a perfect score every year since the award’s inception.”
Another sign likely referenced the Fort Worth-based company’s race-based hiring policies: “If you like old comedies, then you’ll love our corporate policies. Get woke with American Airlines, where diversity comes before safety.”
Some of the signs appeared to have been taken down by the time major crowds started to arrive, but those who passed by them took notice.
Expressing his displeasure with “woke” corporate messaging, one fight fan was very blunt with The Dallas Express.
“It’s pretty f—–g stupid,” said the fan, declining to provide his name for fear of reprisal. “I’m sick and tired of everyone trying to shove their agendas down our throats. It’s really stupid.”
Others recognized the satirical tone of the signs but felt they were too harsh.
“I think it’s creative … [but] it seems offensive to me,” said Phil Charles, who noticed the signs as he walked toward the arena.
“I think if it came [out] that these things were directly associated with [American Airlines and/or the American Airlines Center], I would be like, ‘OK, what do they have going on? … Do I want to continue to give my money here?'” Charles said.
As Americans struggle with how to respond to openly political companies, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, whose team plays in the American Airlines Center, has chosen to be a vocal defender of companies who purportedly go “woke.” Cuban suggested back in June that there was a strong financial incentive to stake out positions in the American culture war.
“There is a reason almost all the top ten market cap companies in the US can be considered ‘woke.’ It’s good business,” Cuban told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Cuban’s comments prompted some observers to point out his own vested interest in the NBA’s lucrative expansion into the Chinese market.
Sports commentator Clay Travis reportedly called Cuban out on social media in early July over the seeming hypocrisy.
“[L]et me ask you a question … should Chinese people have basic human rights. I think they should. Do you? Why will the NBA speak out so aggressively on, say, North Carolina bathroom bills and say nothing about China all while pocketing their billions? Shouldn’t basic human rights be a non-negotiable issue for a global brand like the NBA?” Travis posted.
Cuban’s support for the NBA’s move into China also prompted a testy exchange between himself and Megyn Kelly back in 2020. When Kelly asked the Mavericks owner why the NBA is raking in millions of dollars working with a country “engaging in ethnic cleansing,” Cuban retorted:
“Because they are a customer. They are a customer of ours, and guess what, Megan? I’m okay with doing business with China.”
Despite Cuban’s seeming optimism over the financial benefits of corporations taking “woke” positions on domestic policy issues, recent boycotts by conservatives against Bud Light and Target cost both companies serious money, undermining the outspoken multi-billionaire’s take. Last week, Bud Light reported further declines in revenues and profits amidst additional layoffs.
“[Demand for Bud Light] has plummeted completely. No one wants it at their event anymore,” claimed Catarina Tucker, founder of New Jersey-based Barnastics Mobile Bartending Service. “There are a couple clients that have expressed to me their feelings behind it, and it’s no longer popular.”
Still, while it is unclear where the signs posted around the American Airlines Center came from, the Fort Worth carrier is not the first Texas airline to receive satirical pushback for policies some perceive as “woke.”
Back in April, Southwest Airlines was the butt of an April Fool’s Day joke. A billboard popped up depicting the company’s leadership dressed in drag. The sign appeared to mock the airline’s push for “diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The Dallas Express reached out to American Airlines and the American Airlines Center for comment on the signs that appeared around the arena on Saturday. A spokesperson for the carrier noted that its communications personnel likely would not have a response before Monday.