This article illustrates the impact that professional athletes have on present and potential customers regarding the promotion of unhealthy junk foods. Lebron James, Serena Williams and Sidney Crosby just to name a few. The world of advertising is already mixed up with so much deception and manipulation that consumers have a hard time deciding on what to believe. When it comes down to it, “you have some of the world’s most physically fit athletes promoting really unhealthy foods,” which is detrimental to society as a whole. One is lead to question what the athlete’s morals and values are, and if what they are promoting aligns with that.
The reason why these athletes choose to promote such unhealthy lifestyles is the extrinsic rewards that they receive from doing it, for example the money they receive from the endorsement deals. However, they do not realize how their choices will impact others in the long run; surveys state that the majority of consumers exposed to the advertisements are children ages 12-17. Bragg makes a good point by saying that “professional athletes wouldn’t endorse tobacco today because it would be a liability for them…We’re hoping one day that the same would be true for unhealthy foods.”