海角大神

The 鈥渙fficial restaurant鈥� of the Olympics is officially feeling the pressure: According to We Are Social,聽less than one percent of tweets mentioning McDonald鈥檚聽in relation to Sochi were positive. The overwhelming critique, raised by 35 percent聽of these McDonald鈥檚-focused social media comments? The brand that drives the epidemic of obesity has no place in the world鈥檚 most elite athletic event.

We couldn鈥檛 agree more. That鈥檚 why on Wednesday Corporate Accountability International launched聽this open letter聽calling on Olympic medalists to 聽publicly renounce McDonald鈥檚 sponsorship. What does it mean for the world鈥檚 largest purveyor of burgers and fries to be the official restaurant of the world鈥檚 most high-profile sporting event?

It means that if you were in Sochi right now, you鈥檇 see two 24-hour McDonald鈥檚 within the Olympic Village, along with a new McDonald鈥檚 playground 鈥渄edicated to the children of Sochi.鈥� It means that if you turned on your TV to NBC right now, in moments you鈥檇 see an ad telling you that 鈥渢he greatest victories are celebrated with a bite鈥� of a chicken McNugget. It means that if you were a high-visibility athlete talented enough to win a gold medal, you鈥檇 likely get a call from McDonald鈥檚 mere seconds after finishing your race.

Most importantly, it means if you were a child watching your favorite Olympic athlete scarf a Big Mac, you鈥檇 probably want a Big Mac too.

As the largest global fast food chain and the most prolific marketer to children, no brand has played a more visible role in what experts call today鈥檚 epidemic of diet-related disease than McDonald鈥檚. Its exploitation of athletes and athletic institutions is yet another way the corporation takes advantage of children. And when a child鈥檚 role model is the one touting the unhealthy brand, this marketing is even more insidious.

McDonald鈥檚 has been sponsoring the Olympics since the 1960s. Much like it does with聽hospitals聽and聽charity, the corporation exploits the positive associations with the Olympics to deflect criticism around the health impacts of its products. By aligning itself with the success of high-profile athletic institutions and athletes, 聽McDonald鈥檚 earns an undeserved association with athleticism. This insidious marketing tactic misleads people, especially children, to believe the brand is like their Olympic role models: trustworthy, fun, and healthy. 聽聽

In particular, McDonald鈥檚 works to build this association and brand loyalty among communities of color, while at the same time these communities suffer from staggering rates of diet related disease.聽For instance, in 2012, gymnast Gabby Douglas became one of the brand鈥檚 biggest promoters, claiming to have eaten there after winning her Gold in London. Shani Davis, this year鈥檚 speed skating favorite, has already begun his promotion of McDonald鈥檚, stating he鈥檒l eat it when he鈥檚 an old man and promoting the brand鈥檚 (failed) #CheersToSochi hashtag. And the Olympian and NBA star LeBron James makes an estimated US$42 million a year in endorsements off his celebrity.

But the tide is turning among elite athletes like Olympians, who increasingly recognize that athletic achievement should not be associated with fast food. Olympians聽Amir Khan聽and聽Jamie Anderson聽have taken a public stand against McDonald鈥檚 cooptation of the Games. As the Olympics come to a close, Olympic athletes have a platform and opportunity right now to be the role models their fans truly deserve by rejecting sponsorship deals with McDonald鈥檚.

From the astounding number of people tweeting about the conspicuous irony of McDonald鈥檚 sponsoring the Games to the more than 7,000 people who聽signed this petition聽within the first 24 hours of its launch, the public supports athletes in taking that stand.聽Join us:聽add your name to the petition聽and ask athletes to be champions for children.