Major League Soccer Comes Under Pressure Over Its Relationship With Volkswagen
6/7/2010
Protesters handed out leaflets at several Major League Soccer games on June 5th questioning MLS's relationship with VW
Hundreds of concerned citizens showed up at Major League Soccer games this weekend to educate MLS fans and to encourage them to question the league's association with Volkswagen as a prime sponsoor of MLS.
The leaflets that were handed out before each game said:
Is VW the Right Sponsor For MLS?
Normally, fans of MLS are not asked to consider who sponsors our league.
But, in the case of Volkswagen, we would ask that you take some time to consider their values as they relate to the values of MLS.
MLS has a Community Service Program called MLS W.O.R.K.S. This program is “…designed to galvanize the entire soccer community including MLS clubs, players, supporters groups, fans, ownership groups and corporate and media partners to participate in a collaborative effort to combine sport and service, promote goodwill within MLS markets and improve lives and communities at the grassroots level.”
Meanwhile, VW is currently in the process of building a $1 billion manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, TN. The company received over $500 million from Tennessee taxpayers to build that facility in the Volunteer State.
Today, the unemployment rate in Tennessee still hovers near 11% statewide.
Regrettably, VW has chosen ignore both the concerns and employment situation of Tennessee’s workers in favor of a different, and destructive, “race to the bottom” path.
VW has chosen to exploit many undocumented workers from countries such as MEXICO, VENEQUELA, NICARAGUA, ARGENTINA, HONDURAS, and POLAND to build this facility.
Some of these workers have been forced to work under unsafe conditions, and have been threatened with violence when they have tried to speak up.
This is not an issue about legal vs. illegal immigration, it’s about a corporation DOING WHAT’S RIGHT.
And in VW’s case, their actions hardly constitute a commitment to “improve lives and communities at the grassroots level.”
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