What’s with all the Olympians doing burger commercials? Aren’t we sending the wrong message to kids by portraying star athletes as people who eat nothing but fast food? This is probably the worst kind of selling out you can do as an athlete. I don’t see any of them doing milk ads, or cereal anymore. Maybe it’s because I don’t have cable (hopefully) or is it just becausefast food companies have too much gold.
—People Are Stupid
This article appears in Oct 22-28, 2009.
I don’t know if you’re new to the planet or not, but macdonalds and every other thing thats bad for you has been associating itself with the olympics and other healthy living lifestyles since the 70’s.
If/when I see Michael Phelps on the cover of High Times next to RVD I’ll have a renewed faith in Olympic athletes.
It’d be cool to see Ussein Bolt in a Road Runner cartoon also…
Maybe because doing commercials pay their bills so they can train.
What’s with the fast food commercials? Sweet trans-fat laden sponsorships, that’s what. How stupid of a kid would you have to be to think commerical = diet of nothing but fast food btw?
Olympic athletes, for the most part, have to rely on sponsorship to finance their training.
Exactly, BRoc, those training classes, equipment, travel and facility rentals aren’t cheap or free!
Also, these athletes are merely endorsing a product and not shoving it down the gullet or telling you to go out and buy a Whopper with back fat on it. They’re a spokesperson merely meant to be a face or voice for advertising.
If people are so seduced by brainwashing, put the burger and TV remote down and read a book. Or, instead, exercise caution when watching these ads. Nowhere does it say that you have to go out and eat a Big Mac to be like Michael Jordan or buy a Lexus to shoot better than Gretzky.
God damn, nobody said SHIT when my favourite athletes were hawking their mugs on the box of All-Star cereal or Wheaties.
Here’s another tip:
Don’t guzzle down PowerAde, Gatorade or any sugar-filled drinks if your daily routine consists of sitting at a desk, studying and reading or doing nothing all day. They’re meant to rehydrate you after exercise and work outs and not merely to quench thirst.
Nearly every single day of university I see people guzzling down those drinks as if they’d ran a marathon and they’re merely flipping through books and binder pages. Didn’t know studying was such a work out.
You can’t tell me that you really think kids aren’t affected by these ads. I’ve never lived anywhere near a Red Lobster, but I’ve wanted to go to one for decades because I’ve always seen commercials for them. Adding celebrities and athletes to the commercials only makes the product more appealing to kids.
My problem is more that there should be responsible and healthy food companies out there willing to sponsor the Olympians, not just fast food joints.
And what’s the deal Web Nazi, I thought the rule was that I can say MacDonalds as a corporation, I just can’t say the MacDonalds on Spring Garden Rd.
PAS, not really. Ads for these types of places are always on and it doesn’t matter if it’s a clown, a king, or a doobie smokin snowboarder pitching it, it sells. I don’t blame the athletes. It’s obvious that the “Health” world is not interested or they would sponser these athletes. You’re bitching at the wrong people.
Agreed – if these companies are the only ones willing to step up and endorse our athletes via advertising then they should be encouraged. Someone has to support this level of dedication.
As for kids being affected it is a parent’s job to make kids aware of what is healthy and unhealthy – not an athletes, or a fast food chain.
News flash – milk and cereal aren’t all that good for you either sorry to say. And I highly doubt that those apple farmers have enough money to support an athlete going to the olympics. Its about the cash, not the “message they send”. Our world runs on money. Yay!
Exactly Murder Junkie. My 12 year old, when given the opportunity to choose, will want to eat junk for a snack but it’s my job to tell him no and make him choose something healthier. A fast food company is going to market their product regardless. Parents who constantly give in to their child’s whims and whines aren’t doing their job properly.
OH no, my kids want a happy meal…whatever shall I do????
When I was a kid, I loved McD’s then I grew up, my kids love McD’s and they’re not over-weight by any standard, a cheeseburger isn’t going to hurt them. All kids love it, with or without the athletes promoting it!
i think they should have the “ingest whatever the fuck you like olympics” it would be cool to watch people staring at their hands…continue running when the race has stopped…arms being ripped off by heavy weights…you get the idea
Great idea, paingirl. We could call it the “extra special olympics”. I’ve always wondered how fast a human can run hopped up on every performance enhancing drug available.
Donovan Bailey hotdogs…mmmmm!!