Editorial: Players failing to see irony

Sports stars like the warriors should not be promoting fast food, says Peter White.

Back in 1993, basketball superstar Charles Barkley created a stir in a television advert where he made it clear he had no moral obligations to be a role model for young people.

In the famous Nike advert, Barkley is quoted as saying: "I am not a role model. Parents should be role models. Just because I can dunk a basketball, doesn't mean I should raise your kids."

In the 22 years since that controversy broke, it is still debatable whether sports stars are role models. I firmly believe they are, whether they like it or not. It comes with the territory of having a high public profile and over-inflated salaries.

Here in New Zealand, Super Rugby players and Warriors are among our most high-profile sporting stars. It is not until you live in Auckland for any time that you realise what a massive league town it is. The merchandise sales at the Warriors are the largest of any team in the NRL. There are at last count seven different jerseys for sale at the Warriors retail outlets.

Advertisers are well aware of the pulling power of players, which is why they have used Warriors and Super Rugby players to promote two major fast food restaurants in television campaigns this year. The players are sending all the wrong messages to their fans. Kids see super fit, toned sports stars making it look cool to eat fast food but from a health perspective it is the last thing the kids need.

The issue surrounding the consumption of fast food is arguably the biggest health problem our young people face today. Obesity and heart disease go hand in hand with saturated fat consumption, and the drain on the public health sector affects us all.

I get that the players are obligated to promote the major sponsors of the organisations they are contracted to play for. But I will be the first to applaud any player who publicly comes out and refuses to endorse unhealthy food.

Players at the Warriors and Super Rugby franchises have nutritionists who monitor their diets every week. It is ironic these players are banned from eating the very food they are promoting to our most vulnerable age groups.

It is just not right.