Adidas Voices Solidarity While Closing Its Stores

“You did it adidas you stopped racism,” one follower sarcastically replied.

Just as sportswear companies were emerging from an economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, they lurched toward another as hundreds of American cities erupted in protests against racism and police brutality over the weekend. An Adidas store in an upscale neighborhood of Los Angeles was looted, and the company closed its dozens of American stores, just two weeks after reopening some of them for the first time in months.

A spokeswoman for Adidas declined to comment beyond its post on Instagram.

Brands traditionally avoid hot-button political topics in their advertising and marketing, but in recent years that has become more difficult. Consumers from the younger generation want to see their values reflected in the brands they buy.

For sportswear companies like Adidas, that has been especially true during the presidency of Donald J. Trump. Shortly after Mr. Trump was elected, New Balance faced a backlash after expressing support for his trade policies. The company’s shoes were then embraced by racists, who referred to them as the “Official Shoes of White People.” Nike signed Colin Kaepernick, the N.F.L. quarterback who began kneeling during the pregame national anthem in protest of the treatment of black people by the police, to a new endorsement contract. It later pulled a pair of sneakers with an early version of the American flag after his input, infuriating conservatives.

Companies like Adidas and Nike have long paid black entertainers and athletes to pitch their products, and it is often black teenagers in the country’s largest cities who determine which brands are fashionable and subsequently sell big in the white suburbs. This is a particular bone of contention for black employees at Adidas, a number of whom told The New York Times last year that they felt ignored and sometimes discriminated against by the company.

“In sportswear, a huge part of their consumer base, and even people who inform their brand and endorsers for their brand, is usually a lot of black people,” said James Whitner, the owner of the Whitaker Group. The Whitaker Group owns a number of fashion and sneaker retailers focused on black consumers.