Athletes in Scandal and Endorsement Deals
All civilizations have celebrated the athletic achievements of their most accomplished citizens, from the ancient Greeks contesting the first Olympic Games to the jousting knights of medieval Europe, and societies have typically rewarded their most elite athletes with superior status, financial incentives, and social standing. Within the realm of modern American athletics, our nation's unique blend of personal liberty and capitalistic ambition has long created a class of professional athletes who are revered as heroic figures and who are compensated commensurately. The multi-million dollar guaranteed contracts which are now de rigueur for American athletics are also accompanied by lucrative endorsement deals which are lavished on the most famous players within each sport or league. While the phenomenon of private companies paying athletes to publically endorse products is nothing new, as Babe Ruth proved during his heyday in the 1920's by shilling for everything from cigarettes to candy bars, the advent of television and internet technology has enabled athletes to endorse far more products on a far greater scale than ever before. While the attainment of physical prowess and the pursuit of healthy competition once formed the foundation of athletics in this country, today young athletes in every sport aspire not to win championships, but to secure shoe contracts and television appearances. The relationship between athletes and the companies they represent can be fraught with ethical concerns during the best of times, but as the recent scandals involving Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, world class golfer Tiger Woods, and acclaimed cyclist Lance Armstrong have proven, the intertwining of athletics and avarice can result in extremely complex ethical dilemmas.
After a British tabloid published photographs in 2009 depicting Phelps in the act of smoking marijuana,...
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