Better start practicing your "No"s as there'll be plenty.
I've done stories already on hockey, lacrosse camp, and kid triathlons, and just over the course of this past week I received these 3 "No" opportunities:
More hockey - here's a Facebook encouragement from the Ottawa District Hockey Association sent to me by Kevin that encourages group members to activate their Hockey Canada Club Card (meant for kids) to get a free Mars bar and Delissio Pizza
Here's some photos sent to me by Jenn from some cross country ski racers who in turn have been turned into little skiing advertisements for chocolate milk (lait au chocolat)
And here's what was sent out by the West Ottawa Soccer Club (and to me by Lara) - an enticement for 5 free meals at East Side Marios for kids 10 and under (and of course special offers throughout the year):
The take home message here is simple. The folks who organize kids after school sports have no qualms whatsoever selling access to your impressionable children to the purveyors of junk food. And my bet too, like the example I provided yesterday, many would defend these practices either by way of suggesting all you need to do to fight them is invoke your parental "No", or that one chocolate milk, Mars bar or meal out for dinner won't hurt anyone.
The problem of course - it's a constant barrage and even if you did manage to constantly and consistently say "No", there are undoubtedly also countless opportunities where parents aren't around to exercise that parental option.
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You come up with some great graphics, Dr. F.
ReplyDeleteThat baby looks like a future NASCAR driver.
-Steve
I think you're overlooking (perhaps intentionally) that many of these activities need significant cash infusions from corporate sponsors to keep the costs down for parents. There has to be some give and take there. If the corporate sponsors are going to pony up to help make the activities happen, then it's only fair for them to get some advertising out of the deal.
ReplyDeleteIs in not possible to get other corporate sponsors that the ones knocking at your door? I think schools, parents and sport clubs should make more effort to get sponsors that don't sell unhealthy food. What we are teaching our children is not just "sport is healthy" is "money is worth everything". Maybe we should not have new t-shirts so often, or maybe the parents that can do it, should pay a bit more, I think there are many alternatives to sell our children and the other children's health.
ReplyDeleteI bet the Big Food Companies can't wait every year for the release of the Active Healthy Kids Report Card. Two years ago they reported that After School programs needed attention (enter gov't funding and initiatives to get them going). The report card is also funded by, you guessed it, Kellogs, George Weston (Foods), Heart and Stroke ('nuff said) and the Lawson Foundation. Their strategic partners are... drum roll... Participaction and CHEO.
ReplyDeletewww.activehealthykids.ca/AboutUs/Partners/Funders%20and%20Supporting%20Partners.aspx
How did we ever manage sports for school kids in the old days, before corporate sponsorship?
ReplyDeleteAh, Alexie that's a very good question!
ReplyDeleteIn those days, people were not as wealthy, individually, as today. And still society managed to function...lots of things were very different, including no sponsorship for Olympic athletes (all had amateur status) and in other areas, no professional fundraisers for charities.
Now that marketing and advertising have got a grip on the jugular of public consciousness nothing worthwhile can be done without a logo on it.
@Sue W agreed also, we sometimes confuse advertising with sponsorship. Advertising is cheap compared to the profits or they wouldn't predate on our kids.
ReplyDeleteUltimately, we need gov'ts to do the right thing and legislate an appropriate amount of degrees of separation from our kids. If they really wanted to be socially conscious, then they wouldn't need the recognition of having their labels on our children. Companies only have to follow the minimum standard imposed by gov't and ultimately those of us who actually vote. The current gov't seems to want to encourage more corporate control over our stomachs and health (see XL foods) and these corporations will also put tonnes of pressure on people to make sure it keeps happening. Write to your MLAs, MPs, and anyone else you think would listen. Maybe an online petition, as long as we keep the discussion growing.
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