When the picture of Michael Phelps inhaling from a bong first began appearing on the internet, Mark Fightmaster wrote that "It appears that the sponsors are going to stand by their man, from Speedo to Parenting magazine."Visa said that it had "spoken with Michael and he has expressed regret for the situation, has committed to being accountable and improving his judgment in the future [...] We intend to support him as he looks to move forward."
But there is a defector from Phelps' camp. Kellogg Co. (NYSE: K) has elected not to renew Phelps's contract that expires at the end of the month.
Phelps's mug can be found on corn flakes boxes, but that company has decided that one of the greatest athletes in the history of the world can no longer represent it because someone once took a picture of him smoking marijuana -- something that 42% of Americans have done at some point in their lives.
By the way: When asked whether he'd used weed, President Barack Obama replied that "I inhaled frequently, that was the point." If a then-Presidential candidate can admit to having experimented with illegal drugs, why not an athlete?
It's hard to know why Kellogg opted not to overlook this issue the way that Visa, Speedo and even Parenting did, but it sure is making the company look stodgy and out of touch.











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-06-2009 @ 12:10PM
bitasno said...
one toke over the line sweet jesus one toke over the line sitting back home with my head in my hands wondering where five million went , just because of a bing on the bong . HELLO do you have water on the brain ! kell o double good doesnt want your dumb ass any more ! and maybe more to come . lets see if i was the ceo of any corp. id say oh yes lets get a pot smokin geek to lead our sales charge . what the hell were you thinking ? in ancient rome they used to put a slave beside returning generals comming home whispering that fame is fleeting ,,,, well mike wave bye bye . geese and it was a preety red bong too ! hope it was worth it .
2-06-2009 @ 12:16PM
bitasno@aol.com said...
oh by the way kelloggs stock has done nothing but climb this morning . thank you kelloggs for haveing the fortitude to hold to your standards
2-06-2009 @ 12:14PM
MerciMe said...
Having been bullied as a child with ADHD, this most likely is Michael Phelps' first experience in peer popularity. So what do you do when you want to maintain the new-found kindship ... when in Rome, do as the Romans do (no pun intended). I say expose the kid who turned on him and traded pictures for money. That is much more dispicable. Michael probably doesn't morn the loss of the millions he lost as much as the trust in friends. Where is the forgiveness?
2-06-2009 @ 10:18PM
augie4729 said...
We Americans sure are funny. We idolize a pot-smoking, wet-behind-the ears-swimmer and pay him millions in endorsements but ignore our true heroes--think commercial airplane in the Hudson River. I vow to boycott any company stupid enough to pay the swimmer to endorse their product. And I'm switching to Kellogs a.s.a.p.
2-08-2009 @ 4:45PM
don said...
STFU augie! kellogg's is a POS company that needs to die!