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On a Slow Friday, Some Thoughts on Wemby Refusing to Endorse Soda
Published:
Jared Weiss wrote a story at The Athletic titled “Inside the plan to make Victor Wembanyama the biggest athlete on the planet,” and this passage is going viral:
Before Wembanyama made the NBA, he was turning down marketing deals in the millions from beverage companies and living off his approximately $150,000 salary with his French club. Sodas, skin care, you name it. They all wanted him, but he declined.
“We’re not gonna mix his image with sodas like Coca-Cola,” Medjana said. “They all want him, but Victor will never sell soda. Because he doesn’t want to kill the kids.”
This is noble and it makes sense in a vacuum. Soda does not have any nutritional value and is loaded with sugar and acids. So Wemby doesn’t want to attach his name to something that is harmful and potentially addictive, especially to children who may look up to him as an athlete. It’s commendable that he shows restraint, as opposed to just taking the marketing dollars from big-whatever without considering the larger impact.
But isn’t the agent being a little dramatic? “He doesn’t want to kill the kids.” That’s a good quote, but it’s hyperbolic. We frequented Turkey Hill in the 90s and drank all kinds of sugary garbage and we turned out alright (relatively speaking). You’re not going to die from drinking soda. You’re going to die if you drink soda every day, maybe multiple times a day. For instance, if you drink a case of Mountain Dew every week while sitting on your ass playing Call of Duty, then of course you’re going to turn into a diabetic fatty. However, most people do not drink a case of Mountain Dew every week while sitting on their asses playing Call of Duty. They might indulge every so often, and that’s perfectly fine. The rule in the Kinkead household is that we don’t keep soda in the fridge. But if we go out to the taco place on a Friday afternoon, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a nice and refreshing Coca Cola Classic.
No harm, no foul. Why? Because it’s all about moderation. Beer, weed, gambling, women, soda, the Phillies, whatever – none of these things are going to kill you in small amounts. But in large amounts? Yeah, sure.
Hopefully people are smart enough to realize this on their own, and make intelligent personal choices, otherwise we get to the age-old question of whether or not the government has to step in and save us from ourselves. Admittedly, that has nothing to do with a French basketball player, but tangentially speaking, the great thing about the USA is that you can make your own choices. You just have to live with those choices. Or die with those choices.
My body! My choice!
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com