Mathis and Doritos (was Mathis=Del Piero=Totti)

Speaking of Mathis, did anybody else see this in their Sunday supplement? Nice to see an MLS player getting endorsements, especially when they're products I already use.

 

My wife brought it over to me Sunday afternoon. I'm sure Budweiser will sign him up before long.

By the way, isn't Doritos owned by Pepsi?

 

There's a rule in this country (either written or unwritten, I'm not sure) preventing active athletes from endorsing alcohol. Maybe if there was a Bud-flavored Gatorade...

 

He should snack on "WoW". Made by same company, (Pepsi/Lay's) only has 75 calories instead of the 150 in the garbage he is eating.

 

finally a credible athlete endorsement!

 

Right because lord knows those 80's Miller Lite commercials had no athletes or coaches in them.

 

That's why I used the word "active." They used exclusively ex-athletes (Bob Uecker and Marv Thronberry, to name two). I do, however, remember Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner doing one commercial, which ended with George firing Billy. I believe this was in between the 1979 and 1980 seasons, before Billy had been hired by Oakland. When Martin was rehired in 1983, Miller brought back the commercial, but dubbed the word "hired" where "fired" originally was.

 

I think Billy Martin put it best when he said, "I'll drive"

 

John Elway did Coors commericals.

 

While he was still playing? I remember the one that debuted almost immediately following his retirement (featuring some ESPN guy - I think it was Dan Patrick), but none before then.

 

WHo gives a shite?

 

I'm with Lanky134 on this one -- athletes don't do beer endorsements until after they have finished their careers, when they no longer have to abide by the rules of the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL. Elway's deal with Coors started after he retired; as for Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner, I can only guess that their Miller Lite commercial pre-dated the prohibition against endorsing alcoholic beverages. It is possible that the ban only applies to active players, as opposed to managers/owners, but that doesn't make much sense.

 

Right, so Mathis should turn down these deals because it would be horrible for his image and for a soccer player to actually get an ad campaign. Yeah, right.

 

Mathis=Del Piero=Totti

So someone show me this prohibition that is arbitrarily enforced.

 

Dan R,

It's not that he would turn them down, it's that he's not allowed to accept it.


Eric d,
If it is codified (as opposed to a gentlemen's agreement with the beer companies), it would either be in a collective bargaining agreement (which MLS doesn't have, but other sports do) or as a standard clause in a player's contract. Miller Genuine Draft use to a commercial on the Spanish networks featuring some of the then-current Mexican team, so I doubt it's something the FCC can regulate.

Can you find an example in the past 20 years of a professional American athlete doing a beer ad?

 

Mathis=Del Piero=Totti

I don't have to. You are saying that there is some tacit agreement that there is a prohibtion that you cannot prove. You have no facts other than no athlete hasn't done one in 20 years. That isn't proof. No porno star has done a Children's Detergent in 35 years. Are detergent manufacturers writting an unwritten code that no porno stars are allowed to do tv commercials for them? Or maybe they are just picking what they want from the available canidates.

What you are saying is done is anti-competitve, anti-CBA, anti-democracy and is collusion. So to sum up, you have you no case. Especially since every league and some or most teams and or arena/ stadia have their own official drink and make a ton of money from the sponsorships.

Maybe sports agents don't think beer advertising is such a good idea for their clients.
Dismissed.

 

You're right. I can't prove it. I heard it a number of years ago and the fact stuck with me. Yes, teams, and leagues, have official drinks which bring in big dollars. The Galaxy's shirt sponsor is Bud. But their ads do not feature their players. Maybe it is an issue with the agents. That's why, in my original post on the subject, I wrote "either written or unwritten, I'm not sure."

And how is it collusion if it's part of an agreement between management and labor?

 

That means it's in the CBA, which you are saying it is, and I am saying it isn't. That's how it is collusion.

PS The reason the sky is blue is because of chlorphyll.

 

I didn't say it is, I said that if such a rule was codified, then it could be found there. A CBA has to be agreed on between labor and management, and therefore it is not collusion.

 

Here's an article about the decision by NBC to start showing liquor ads. Read the second-to-last paragraph.

http://money.cnn.com/2001/12/13/companies/nbc/

So, in the case of television advertisements, the decision could be coming from the networks.

 

I am explaining how it can be collusion. THE FACT THAT IS NOT IN A CBA AND IF THE LEAGUES BAR THERE PLAYERS FROM BEING IN ADS, THEN WE HAVE THE BEGINNINGS OF COLLUSION.

 

How do you know for a fact it's not in the CBA?

 

eric d -- you're just wrong on this one. I know that I've read that the major professional leagues prevent their athletes from endorsing alcoholic beverages. I doubt it's an "unwritten agreement"; it must be part of the standard player's contract and it may very well be something that is a part of the CBA.

Is it anti-competitive or collusion, as you say? Well, I suppose the more accurate way of putting it is that it is restraint of trade, in that it prevents athletes from certain avenues of income. But guess what, athletes are more than happy to give up this right in order to work for an NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL team and earn millions. Just like they are willing to give up their right to engage in any conduct which brings disrepute to their sport (also a standard clause in a player's contract). Just like they are willing to subject themselves to random drug testing, which, for you and me, creates civil rights issues.

I'm willing to bet that active athletes also are prohibited from endorsing casinos. I do remember that, about 10 years ago, a retired baseball player had to give up his job with a major league team because he was working as a greeter for a casino in AC.

You bet it's hypocritical, when those same leagues are more than happy to take Budweiser's advertising dollars. Welcome to the real world.

By the way, your "porn stars" analogy is pretty weak. It's pretty safe to say that no manufacturer of children's detergent wants to hire a porn star to hawk its product; it's equally safe to say that Bud, Miller, Heineken etc. would cut off their noses to hire superstar athletes to sell their beer.

Do you think it's a coincidence that no active pro athlete in one of the major leagues has appeared in an ad for an alcoholic beverage? Is it just that the beer companies don't want pro athletes to sell their beer?

 

I think my analogy is great actually. If they dont want to hire a porn star then thats there perogrative. If they have a stated documented company policy of not hiring anyone because of previous job, then that is unconstitutional.

I know the internet isn't the be-all and end-all, but not even a cursory search has turned up any proof that the exists in all the leagues.

Can I be wrong? Sure. So can you. And until someone somewhere can show me anything, then you have no right to say I am wrong when you cannot prove what you say is right.

Whether its restraint of trade or not, if it's not in the CBA, I am sure that if the agents wanted to do it, it would be done. This isn't the 1950's where leagues and teams had total autonomous control over players.

Your casino analogy stinks worse then my ivory soap one. Gambling is illegal in most places in this country, and a person who is participating in a event that has a line on it from Vegas, cannot be part of a gambling/ casino business in any form. That isn't only a CBA thing- although I am sure that is in there, that also goes against Federal Statues about gmabling and bookmaking.



Oh, and BTW Paul, ever hear of Ivory Soap and Marilyn Chambers?


PS- Just found this about the NFL but only the NFL so far: