Olympic Athletes and Fast Food

[BendtheBar]

Posting for discussion...

Working in the industry, I often receive unsolicited "plea" emails from folks asking me to help them get coverage for their stories. This week I received an email from someone who was very upset about Olympic athletes shilling fast food:

Junk Food OlympiAds: Athletes Fuel Games? Fast-Food Assault

Hurdler LoLo Jones would love for you to bite into a Big Mac. And wrestler Henry Cejudo would be thrilled if you’d wash that down with an ice-cold soda. It’s what they do all the time – or so they make you think. On the Olympics page of Coca-Cola’s website, amputee Paralympic swimmer Jessica Long appears in her swimming suit, hair wet, holding — you guessed it — a soda. She apparently doesn’t even have time to towel off after a tough workout or a race before grabbing a bottle of the high-calorie, high-sugar fizzy beverage to recover.

“They’re giving people mixed messages,” says Claire Kennedy, MS, RD, a licensed dietitian nutritionist at Tufts Health Center in Boston. “The worst thing you can do when you’re coming in from a swim or a run is to grab a Coke.”

So, the question is...do you find this to be a big issue, or no big whoop?

[MC]

I think it's a horrible lie. Most of us are wise enough to see and understand that the athletes are spokespeople for McD's, the official food of the Olympics (INSANE), but I think the unspoken message of the ad campaign (eat what champions and people in amazing shape eat) is just wrong.

On the other hand, I think Debbie Phelps's Subway commercials are better because there are many relatively healthy items on Subway's menu. McD's menu has few items that one could label as healthy.

[bruteforce]

Its no big deal. For people looking to use this as an excuse to eat fast food, fine. Just become an olympic athlete first.

As for dietitian Claire Kennedy, does she even lift?

McDonalds is my standard road food. 4-6 McDoubles, no bun. Treats my blood sugar and my waistline right.

[MC]

Originally Posted by bruteforce

McDonalds is my standard road food.

Mine, too. But certainly neither of us looks how we look from eating there 3-7 days a week. I know people who eat McD for breakfast every working day.

[bruteforce]

Originally Posted by *MC*

Mine, too. But certainly neither of us looks how we look from eating there 3-7 days a week. I know people who eat McD for breakfast every working day.

I'll give you that. Its about damage control. Not having cable TV I forget about commercials a lot, but there was a defining moment in my childhood involving them. DD7, some magic stain remover. It didn't work as promised, and I've been distrustful of anything on TV or radio ever since. Internet ads never lie though kids, so that weight gainer will totally give you 35 pounds of muscle next week.

I think it would be helpful for people to use their heads more in all areas of life. These athletes are young, incredibly active, and have coaches for every aspect of their life. Unless someone has access to that, they should probably cut back on the food that we all know is junk. Next, someone is going to tell me smoking a bowl won't make me as good a swimmer as Phelps.

[Gaz6682]

Originally Posted by *MC*

Mine, too. But certainly neither of us looks how we look from eating there 3-7 days a week. I know people who eat McD for breakfast every working day.

I eat there occasionally and I take my kids occasionally. Mainly because a) it's bloody good! and b) i think it is good value for money. It's occasional because I see it as a treat and not a staple and I hope my kids understand that too. There is a growing problem in this country with childhood obesity and in my opinion it is almost entirely the fault of the parents. there are exceptions to the rule of course.

[Off Road]

No different than Jay Cutler's Cell Tech...They prey on the dumb and desperate.
I ordered X-Ray glasses from the back of my comic book...Did Not Work as advertised.

[BigJosh]

Surely, no one really thinks that they eat fast food all the time.
This is how these athletes make money. If McDonalds is willing to pay them, so be it.

[Gaz6682]

Originally Posted by BigJosh

Surely, no one really thinks that they eat fast food all the time.This is how these athletes make money. If McDonalds is willing to pay them, so be it.

Children might, younger ones especially but IMO it's the job of the parents to provide that education and guidance.

[BigJosh]

Originally Posted by Gaz6682

Children might, younger ones especially but IMO it's the job of the parents to provide that education and guidance.

Agreed. I would like to point out that there mascot is a clown. So olypmic athletes or not, they are still marketing to children.
As you said though, it's the parents job to be a parent and guide there children.
Let the athletes get paid.