How to lose endorsements and alienate sponsors
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Date Posted:
September-8-2010 15:00
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Triple Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Rice is in hot water this week after an ill-conceived Twitter post in which she used a gay slur to express her jubilation at the Wallabies’ awesome win against South Africa on the weekend. This faux pas has already cost her one lucrative sponsor. If you’re an athlete and want to know how to lose a mint in endorsements, read our list below.
Misuse Twitter
Following the Wallabies' tense victory, Rice, who dates fly half Quade Cooper, posted on Twitter: "Suck on that f*ggots. Probs the best game I've ever seen!! Well done boys.” Ah, the perils of drunk tweeting (we’re just guessing, but the game was screened very early on a Sunday morning).
She’s since been dumped by luxury car brand Jaguar, who even requested she return her free car. On the plus side, her Twitter account is nowhere near as offensive as 50 Cent’s.
Break the law (or at least be accused of it)
Rape allegations were made against NBA superstar and super-earner Kobe Bryant in 2003. McDonald’s and Nutella gave him the flick, while Nike (who also stood by Tiger Woods) gave him a slap on the wrist. His estimated losses during the ordeal, which was later settled out of court, were around AUS$55 million. He’s now back on top as the NBA’s highest earner.
Accusations of domestic abuse saw Pepsi ditch Mike Tyson in 1988, while OJ Simpson was dropped by rental car agency Hertz in 1992 for the same reason. This was good foresight as he was arrested as a suspect in a double homicide two years later.
Committing adultery, cheating or taking drugs will also do the trick...