Funny to call someone clueless when you yourself show that you are. You do realize that the uniforms and shoes they wear are part of a sponsorship deal and they must wear only those brands while on the field and often times at public appearances. It's been this way for years and years.
Exactly right. Once again, we have another example of the Apple halo effect rallying the herd around a generally low-quality headphones brand because Apple chose to buy them (how long until "we" are spinning Beats as the finest headphones in the world?). Contrast this evolving sentiment to how it was
before the purchase by this same pool of people:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1732882/ but here "we" are now, rallying behind why it's wrong to deny exposure of Beats headphones to the masses (in spite of what "we" thought of them BEFORE Apple owned them).
In sports/celebrity business, this is NORMAL stuff. Sponsorships are part of where the huge money comes from to make the whole thing go. Obviously sponsorships come with the strings of needing to support the sponsors instead of apparently endorsing the sponsor's competitors but that's how it works (it's why the sponsors pay the money). It's been that way forever; it will be that way well into the future too.
Some of you guys are spinning this like it's some attack on personal freedoms or similar... some arguing because "I" don't have to do it, they shouldn't either. But the difference is that
thousands or millions of potential buyers aren't watching you each week. If you had such an audience, you'd find a remarkable stream of additional ways of making money for yourself in the sponsorship game. And then you might find yourself appearing to endorse products that you might not personally love most for the MONEY you are being paid to do so.
Or, if your company paying you more than you could make doing anything else entered into a sponsorship deal that would involve their employees supporting the sponsorship, you- like these athletes- could choose to keep being paid your millions and bending a bit when in the public eye OR you could quit your job, stop receiving those millions, but hold to your (sponsorship competitor) brand loyalty. Which would you choose?
Lots of people choose the money over what they'd rather do every day they go to work. Let someone offer you thousands or millions to be publicly seen with Samsung or Microsoft Windows, etc devices and watch how quickly you opt for the money over even the endless brand adulation & loyalty to the Apple. Privately, as is the case here, you could still worship at the alter of the Apple (or Beats). Keep getting paid more than you can make doing anything else OR defy your boss, risk losing that lucrative income but hold to your personal choice the relatively small amount of time you are in the public eye?
