By: Nikki Nies
Celebrity athletes are adored and their every move is scrutinized and/or praised. It never hurts to see one of America’s favorite athletes endorsing a product to lure their fans into trying. This is one of the many problems with childhood obesity. How many TV commercials, billboards and advertisements do you see for yummy kale or scrumptious beets? None. That statistic is staggering, yet very telling of what our society endorses–literally and figuratively.
litany of pro athletes analyzed by the authors put their big names behind 44 different food or beverage brands during 2010, with 79 percent of those food products being “energy-dense and nutrient-poor,” and with 93 percent of the drinks receiving all of their calories from added sugar — including sports drinks, the paper notes.
Highest grossing star athletes:
- LeBron James-$42 million to represent McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, etc.
- Peyton Manning-$12 million to represent Buick, Reebok, Gatorade and DirecTV plus Papa John’s
- Serena Williams-previously McDonald’s and Oreo’s
Parents are the final say in what goes in the grocery cart, so don’t let your kids pleading faces make you cave at the register. Celebrities are paid an exorbitant amount for products that don’t back up their paycheck.
Photo Credit: The Spish
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