Frosted Flakes: Breakfast of a Capitalist
August 20, 2008 / 8:13 am • By Dr. Melissa Clouthier
Forget the breakfast of Champions, Michael Phelps, by choosing to hawk Frosted Flakes, promotes the triumph of capitalism. Endorsements….they’re GRRRRRREAT! Not that there’s anything wrong with that. In fact, I’m happy for Phelps and hope he makes a gazillion dollars. But some people are clucking about Phelps’ choice:
You better eat your . . . Frosted Flakes?
Olympic legend Michael Phelps will appear on boxes of the Kellogg’s brand sugar cereal, drawing sharp criticism from health experts worried about the message he’ll be sending to children across America.
“I would not consider Frosted Flakes the food of an Olympian,” said nutritionist Rebecca Solomon of Mount Sinai Medical Center.
“I would rather see him promoting Fiber One. I would rather see him promoting oatmeal. I would even rather see him promoting Cheerios.”
The announcement yesterday that Phelps, 23, winner of a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, would grace Frosted Flakes and Corn Flakes boxes instead of the traditional athlete’s choice of Wheaties left many perplexed.
Frosted Flakes has three times the amount of sugar as Wheaties and 1/3rd the fiber.
Oh brother…had Wheaties or Fiber One offered Phelps an endorsement deal and if any human under the age of 50 ate those cereals and therefore were big sellers, I’m sure he would have chosen them. He got a Frosted Flakes deal because Frosted Flakes is a huge seller and so can have a huge marketing budget and pay guys like Michael Phelps the big bucks.
As for the empty calories that are Frosted Flakes. If the 50 million kids who eat the cereal get off their collective butts and get into a swimming pool to burn those empty calories, it will be worth it. Had Phelps endorsed Fiber 1, he’d be inspiring like two kids. His mug will be in every house in America and kids who heretofore thought about playing Nintendo might actually want to join the swim team. One can hope, anyway.
The endorsement is a win-win. Phelps makes lots of money. Lots of kids consider swimming. Sounds like a sweet deal.
Cross-posted at RightWingNews.com
8 Responses to “Frosted Flakes: Breakfast of a Capitalist”
By WayneB on Aug 20, 2008 | Reply
Besides what you said, I’ve compared cereals, and there really isn’t that much more sugar in a serving of Frosted Flakes than there is in many of the so-called “healthy” cereals.
By Trish on Aug 20, 2008 | Reply
Oh, brother.
Do you know how many calories and how much sugar are in those two scoops of raisins in that box of Raisin Bran?
And have you ever actually TASTED Wheaties or Fiber One? I hope not. If you have, poor you.
By Phil on Aug 21, 2008 | Reply
The man put in HIS time, effort, and commitment. It’s nobody else’s F&*%@!# business what HE does with HIS success. Who do these critics think they are to presume to think that they should have something to say about his endorsement deals? It’s a parent’s duty to mold and guide their children, not the face on a cereal box. If there’s something to criticize, it’s the failings of parents, not the athletes or movie stars, or whoever else somebody decides to try to obligate by calling them a role model.
By Phil on Aug 21, 2008 | Reply
This is slightly off topic, but seems pertinent with regard to my previous comment. The IOC president doesn’t like the way Usain Bolt conducted himself after winning the 100 meter, then 200 meter finals. He said that his concuct was not the way he perceived a champion. So, does this mean that all athletes that are champions are to conform to the IOC president’s perception of a champion? That sounds like the pot calling the kettle black to me. What an arrogant jackass. But, if the IOC president wants to say he thinks Bolt acted like an asshole, THAT is his prerogative.
By Gloria Jean on Sep 22, 2008 | Reply
I have to agree with you Dr. Melissa. I have grandchildren and they do pay attention to the front of the cereal boxes. If they didn’t why would companies have people or even cartoons endorse them.
I agree totally about the fact… why not something healthier. Even John Hopkins University stated in their article on Cancer prevention …Article “Cancer cells feed on” … a. Sugar is a cancer feeder. Now that is a strong statement and I personally believe it totally.
Dr. Crook stated it in his book in “The Yeast Connection” …how bad sugar is for a person health and changed the face of preventative care.
My point is …isn’t it time people pay attention to what they are saying ..or is everything about money?