Subway Franchisees Are Split on Megan Rapinoe Marketing

U.S. soccer star and Subway spokesperson Megan Rapinoe took a knee before soccer matches in the Olympics to raise awareness toward racial injustice. While some Subway franchises support her activism, others are reportedly unhappy to be associated with what they claim is inappropriate political posturing.

At the end of the Olympics, the New York Post published an article covering Subway’s internal advertising dispute. A lawyer representing Subway said several franchises have been reaching out to the brand’s corporate office in hopes of pulling ads featuring Rapinoe.

Josh Kosman of The Post writes, “Subway doesn’t own any of its nearly 22,000 locations, but it charges franchisees 4.5 percent of their revenue for a national advertising fund and controls how the money is spent.” Some regions of the U.S. are less accepting of Rapinoe’s action than others, and franchisees argue that if a community is opposed to her form of protest, the local Subway is subject to spending their revenue on something that may hurt their long-term operation.

The case provides another example of a franchise brand weighing corporate power against independent franchise liberties. Corporate advertising can immediately shape the values of an entire franchise chain, which can keep individual units from establishing their own identity, for better or worse.

If a franchise owner’s personal political beliefs do not align with the actions of their franchisor, they may be forced to tamp down or reconsider their stance to succeed as a franchisee. This might dissuade some prospective Subway owners from opening their own shop and could cause turmoil if employees are told to silence their own views.

An Arizona franchisee wrote on a blog for the North American Association of Subway Franchises, “Spending our money to make a political statement is completely and totally out of bounds.” 

Rapinoe was not the only soccer player to kneel in protest at the Olympics. USA Today wrote, “The U.S. women’s national team’s 11 starters kneeled along with players from Sweden and a referee before their July 21 opening match in a pre-planned demonstration against racism and discrimination.” As reported by the Associated Press, members of the British and Chilean women's soccer teams also knelt on the pitch during the Olympics. “On the initial day of action at the Tokyo Games, the soccer players were the first athletes to use the Olympic platform for a display of activism,” the article said.