Black Diamond and La Sportiva Drop Climber Joe Kinder for Cyberbullying
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After several cyberbullying episodes, including one pointed at fellow climber Sasha DiGiulian, Joe Kinder’s sponsors Black Diamond Equipment and La Sportiva dropped him from their athlete rosters, as reported by GearJunkie. Kinder used private social media accounts to cyberbully fellow athletes.
Kinder admitted to having a private Instagram account, now deleted, that he used to poke fun at other athletes and share offensive content. Digiulian, who was the target of one of Kinder’s attacks, posted the following message condemning his actions but accepting his apology and urging others to do the same.
Black Diamond’s comment on the situation:
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Though we have enjoyed working with Joe Kinder on a professional level, his recent personal decisions and actions on social media have strayed from our core values. It is with difficulty that we announce that Joe Kinder is no longer a member of our Black Diamond team. We are committed to continuing to support the incredible women and men making a positive impact in our community.
La Sportiva’s response followed similar reasoning:
La Sportiva is family-owned company and our ambassadors are an extension of that family. La Sportiva ambassadors agree to act professionally in all circumstances and at all times because their actions and words reflect on us as a brand. Due to recent events, we have chosen to end our relationship with Joe Kinder. Despite supporting Joe for many years and our admiration for his talent as a climber, his choices and actions on social media do not meet the standard of behavior that we set for our ambassadors.
