Introduction
Sports have firmly entered the daily life of the modern population: more sports sections and clubs are opening, and more people are seeking regular classes or are interested in the achievements of famous athletes. Sports sales deals with active lifestyle promotion and aims to involve as many individuals as possible to participate in or watch the games. However, nations are facing the problem of healthy eating, which leads to numerous disorders.
Today, obesity is a chronic, recurrent disease whose rate of spread both in economically developed countries and in developing countries is comparable to the scale of the epidemic. The topic was chosen because an active lifestyle is highly promoted, even though people are gaining weight. Even though sports sales are aimed at obesity elimination, the number of obese people is growing.
The development of obesity is based on a long, positive energy balance, which occurs when food is consumed in an amount exceeding energy consumption or when energy consumption decreases. This disorder is inherent in 41.9% of Americans, half of whom are non-Hispanic black adults, followed by Hispanic adults (Jaacks et al., 2019). Such a tendency partially owes its existence to sports marketing in the following ways: For instance, Michael Jordan often appears on cereal boxes or soft drink cans.
This marketing strategy entices his fans to buy foods featuring the basketball star. Such an approach promotes consuming junk food, leading to excessive weight gain. In addition, sports events regularly incorporate food and beverage ads that prompt individuals to obtain popcorn, chips, sodas, or beer while watching the game (Belluz, 2018). In general, such promotions are destructive to improving the nation’s health.
Domestic and Global Cultural Issues
When speaking of this issue in domestic terms, since the ideology of the U.S. is built mainly on consumption and pleasure, it is impossible to avoid excesses. The government is trying to change the approach of citizens to nutrition, and some companies prohibit the distribution of fast food products in their buildings. According to Belluz (2018), “food companies spent $1.28 billion on snack food ads, and nearly 60 percent of that advertising promoted sweet and savory snacks, while just 11 percent promoted fruit and nut snacks” (para. 10). It signifies that the nation is interested in meeting its nutritional needs by consuming snacks while disregarding proper meals.
As Gant (2018) states, “Foods promoted through sports sponsorships scored very low on the scale, with an average score of 38–39 for unhealthy foods like potato chips and sugary cereals” (para. 4). Additionally, numerous corporations sponsor sports teams and events, which is confusing because a sporty lifestyle is not correlated with chocolate bars and soft drinks.
Globally, the issue is even worse because numerous nations prefer high-carb foods to satisfy hunger. Overweight and obesity are among the five main risk factors for death. Every year, at least 2.8 million adults die due to these problems (Jaacks et al., 2019). In addition, 44% of diabetes, 23% of coronary heart disease, and 7–41% of oncological diseases are due to obesity (Jaacks et al., 2019). It hurts economic and social development by increasing healthcare costs and reducing people’s productivity and income. Even though this problem is acute, sports organizations keep incorporating food advertisements and fueling junk food addiction.
Biases Within the Profession
Nonetheless, there are some personal and professional biases related to the job of a sports sales representative. The pivotal prejudice concerns full involvement in sports and an active lifestyle (Zhang et al., 2018). However, these people may only be good professionals selling decent products, but might not be interested in eating healthy and exercising daily.
Moreover, sports sales representatives are thought to work with sports brands and companies. Nevertheless, these individuals regularly work with food manufacturers to ensure their organizations’ development. These stereotypes impose additional roles on sports sales representatives, complicating their personal and professional improvement.
Ethical and Legal Concerns in the Profession
Alongside the biases, there are also ethical implications that a salesperson should consider. For example, when advertising snacks, sports celebrities should provide informed consent for placing their image on a package. However, in some cases, sports stars’ pictures are used for promotional purposes without informing them.
Specifically, it concerns food, as many athletes maintain a healthy lifestyle and refuse to advertise junk products. Furthermore, truth-telling is another ethical issue a salesperson faces when developing food-related ads for sports events (Zhang et al., 2018). For instance, Snickers bars boost one’s energy and are promoted as a nutritious snack due to the nuts in their contents.
Nonetheless, it is high in carbs and sugars, which stimulate one’s brain for several hours because of glucose intake. It is a critical fact that should not be misinterpreted because people may become too reliant on this product in terms of energy. In addition, such confusion over factual information leads to obesity as individuals trust the manufacturer.
As a result, there is an ethical problem with accountability. It signifies that the sports organizations that are liable for advertising some products become responsible for falsified information. Whereas some food is promoted as healthy, the manufacturer must confirm its profit for one’s well-being. Otherwise, there can be disputes over who is to blame – the producer for hiding ingredient information or the salesperson for falsifying facts.
These moral concerns regularly lead to legal concerns, as some parties can file for breaching ethical norms. Non-disclosure is the primary issue salespeople deal with, as many organizations and sports stars prefer to keep details private to establish a specific image for promotional goals (Zhang et al., 2018). Everyone knows Michael Jordan’s story, which features in multiple food brands. However, he never admits to not eating junk food, but at the same time, he ensures having stable workouts. It signifies that when it comes to advertising something related to the risk of obesity, he does not provide any unnecessary information to avoid disclosing extra details.
Moreover, contracts are vital for promoting anything in the sports industry, specifically products featuring famous athletes. Due to non-compliance with the set conditions, either party may demand advertisement retrieval or financial compensation. Therefore, not a single point of the contract should be breached to establish a proper and smooth promotional impact. Ultimately, each agreement should be lawfully checked to ensure both sides’ protection.
Conclusion
In summation, obesity remains a critical issue in modern society as it leads to numerous health disorders and even death. However, it is widely promoted at sports events, and many athletes’ images feature on snacks and drinks. Hence, major ethical concerns arise regarding the truthfulness of the information provided in the promotional ads. In addition, moral issues lead to legal ones regarding contract compliance and the non-disclosure of private information.
References
Belluz, J. (2018). We’ve become numb to one of the biggest drivers of obesity. Vox. Web.
Gant, M. (2018). Food and drink ads during sports broadcasts linked to childhood obesity. New York Post. Web.
Jaacks, L. M., Vandevijvere, S., Pan, A., McGowan, C. J., Wallace, C., Imamura, F., Mozaffarian, D., Swinburn, B., & Ezzati, M. (2019). The obesity transition: Stages of the global epidemic. The Lancet. Diabetes & Endocrinology, 7(3), 231–240. Web.
Zhang, J.J., Kim, E., Mastromartino, B., Qian, T.Y., & Nauright, J. (2018). The sport industry in growing economies: Critical issues and challenges. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, 19(2), 110-126. Web.