Under Armour is drawing widespread praise in LGBTQ+ circles for naming a bisexual celebrity to be its newest global brand ambassador.
Commenters on social media have lauded the Baltimore-based sportswear company’s July 23 announcement that it’s collaborating with “Heated Rivalry” star François Arnaud on “For When It’s Hot,” a new campaign promoting its HeatGear franchise.
Arnaud, 41, has identified publicly as bisexual since September of 2020. Known for his roles on “Schitt’s Creek” and other shows, the French-Canadian actor came out as bisexual in an Instagram story just before Bi Visibility Day that year. He wrote that he wasn’t “confused or trying to look edgy” and was sharing his story to help counter “assumptions of straightness” and bisexual erasure.
Arnaud’s character in the fictional gay hockey romance series “Heated Rivalry,” Scott Hunter, is a closeted gay hockey player who comes out publicly by kissing his secret love interest on the ice rink on live TV – and changes the sports landscape in the process. His character embodied many of the core themes of the series: masculinity, vulnerability, the cost of emotional restraint, and the pressure of deciding between living openly and hiding a secret.
“Such a big deal to have an out and proud bisexual man to be the new ambassador of a major sports brand campaign like this!” said a commenter on Queerty.com. “Love our bi king François and shoutout to Under Armour!”
“It’s a great day to be bisexual,” said a second.
A third suggested that Under Armour change its name to Under Arnaud.
The advertising world is taking notice, too.
“Was releasing [the campaign’s first video] immediately after Pride Month a savvy read of the cultural moment or a telegraphed one?” asked Sporting Goods Intelligence Europe, a website that follows sports-themed marketing campaigns.
‘The center of a moment’
This isn’t the first time an athletic apparel brand has hired a gay or bisexual celebrity to lead a promotional campaign. In 2019, Nike tapped writer and filmmaker John Waters and soccer star Megan Rapinoe, who are gay, to star in its winter fashion campaign, even though Waters admitted he’s never thrown a ball in his life. Waters has also starred in campaigns for Saint Laurent, Nordstrom and Calvin Klein, among others.
Arnaud isn’t the first “Heated Rivalry” star to appear in a fitness campaign. Hudson Williams, who played Shane Hollander, starred in April in Peloton’s “Let Yourself Go” campaign, twirling on a treadmill.
Three months before, Williams made his runway debut in Dsquared2’s menswear show during Milan Fashion Week. Connor Storrie, who played Ilya Rozanov, guest-hosted Saturday Night Live and starred in a Verizon campaign.
This is one of the first times that Under Armour has tapped a member of the LGBTQ+ community to star in one of its campaigns. Arnaud’s “For When It’s Hot” videos will run across Under Armour’s social channels, including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
In public statements about making Arnaud a brand ambassador, Under Armour executives haven’t mentioned his sexual orientation. They said the actor came to their attention because his character wore Under Armour products in “Heated Rivalry” and it seemed like a good fit. They talked about authenticity and wanting their campaigns to support athletes who are confident and have conviction.
It didn’t hurt that “Heated Rivalry” has been a breakout hit on HBO Max in the U.S. and Crave in Canada and that Arnaud has 1.4 million followers on Instagram.
“What drew us to François was more than his obvious talent and looks; it was what he represents,” said Matt Dornic, Chief Communications Officer for Under Armour, in a statement. “The character he portrays ultimately finds his greatest success when he stops trying to fit someone else’s mold and embraces who he truly is. That’s a lesson that resonates deeply with us. The best athletes perform with confidence, conviction and authenticity, and we believe the strongest brands do too. As Under Armour continues to evolve, we’re focused on being unmistakably ourselves, and François embodies that mindset in everything he does.”
“François is at the center of a moment that fans are genuinely passionate about, and we’re excited to be part of it,” said Tyler Rutstein, Under Armour’s Senior Vice President of Global Brand and Americas Marketing, in a statement. “As a brand, we’re focused on showing up in authentic sport moments and clever cultural crossovers. When we recognized François wearing Under Armour organically, we knew a partnership would feel authentic to both of our fan bases.”
‘Not ashamed. Not invisible.’
Arnaud showed his conviction in the message he wrote when he came out as bisexual on Instagram. He was 35.
“Last week, I was chatting with work friends, and as I brought up a trip I’d taken with an ex-girlfriend, I asked myself — for the ten-thousandth time — how to tell such a story without making it seem like that was the whole story of me,” he began. “I’m sure many bisexual guys feel the same and end up doing as I did: letting other people’s assumptions of straightness stand uncorrected.”
Arnaud went on to ruminate about why he chose to stay silent.
“Perhaps out of fear of oversharing. Under the guise of privacy, maybe. Probably because ‘masculinity’ is a most fragile currency, ready to nose-dive at the first sign of vulnerability or difference. And because it’s really f—— scary to give up your privilege. Without a doubt because stigmas of indecisiveness, infidelity, deception and trendiness are still clinging to bisexuality.”
He reasoned that silence perpetuates bi invisibility “and leading people to doubt that we even exist.”
“No wonder it’s still a chore to acknowledge bisexuality without getting into lengthy explanations. So yes, labels are frustrating and words, imperfect. But I’ve always considered myself bisexual. Not confused or trying to look edgy. Not disloyal. Not ashamed. Not invisible. Happy #bivisibilityday this Wednesday.”
Pop-up smoothie bar
Over the weekend, to celebrate its collaboration with Arnaud, Under Armour joined with the Playa Bowls health food shop in Harbor East to host a pop-up HeatGear Smoothie Bar at its south Baltimore headquarters. It also has put images of Arnaud all around the building.
One popular smoothie flavor was Blue Moon Over Baltimore. It was a nod to Scott Hunter’s favorite smoothie in “Heated Rivalry” – Blue Moon Over Brooklyn, a blueberry smoothie with a banana blended in “off menu.”
Arnaud’s “Heated Rivalry” character “held a cultural mirror up to the brand and we liked what it reflected — hardworking, relentless and an athlete whose performance improved when he embraced his authentic self,” Dornic told ADWEEK. “That is especially meaningful at this moment for UA. With [founder] Kevin [Plank] returning as CEO, we’ve been really intentional about connecting with our roots and reigniting what makes UA great.”
