Mailbag: Corporate sponsorship and Allen Crabbe’s start
By David MacKay
‘Mailbag Monday’ is a relatively new segment on Rip City Project. If you would like to see your questions addressed in next week’s edition, email ripcityproject@fansided.com. I am always happy to hear from you. For more information, check out the introductory article. Now let’s get down to business.
"What’s the deal with NBA players supporting corporations like McDonalds? I heard a Damian Lillard ad for a McDonalds meal and hearing it (and whenever I hear an NBA McDonalds add in general) threw me for a loop. Do these high caliber athletes really eat at a McDonalds on the way home from a big game? Is this bad for the NBA by making kids think that “man, Lebron James eats Big Macs, maybe if I eat poorly cooked D-grade meat and play NBA 2K all day, I will be as awesome as him”? Is this a hypocritical partnership between the NBA and McDonalds?ANSWER ME DAVID!-Teran B."
I would be utterly stunned if Lillard ate at McDonalds—period. He changed his diet this summer to cut out fast food, salt, and any sugar that didn’t come from fruit. He has publicly stated that his new dietary restraint has been worth it because he feels a lot healthier.
Hypocrisy is somewhat of a moral grey area for fast food sponsorships in the NBA. If a fast food company pays someone to say, “Eat at Professor V.J. Cornucopia’s Fantastic Foodmagorium & Great American Steakery after the game because it’s delicious,” it is no different than paying a player to advertise for Nike, regardless of their apparel preferences.
As for kids thinking over-salted organ meat and circus animal parts will make them beefy in the same way LeBron is beefy, the onus is on them to use common sense. Most kids have a reasonable concept of healthy and unhealthy food, and those young enough not to generally have their meals provided by a (hopefully) responsible adult.
Besides, modern advertisements usually don’t say that eating at PVJCFF&GAS’s will make you any stronger or better at basketball. Unfortunately, they sometimes present the illusion that putting unhealthy food in your body is not detrimental to that cause. Once again, the onus falls on the public to understand the importance of moderation and making healthy choices.
Most fast food tastes pretty good to most people. I, personally, would go to town on a Big Mac if it weren’t for food allergies and discipline. If Lillard gets a paycheck, McDonalds gets a few customers, and those customers are happy, I’m not concerned with that moral grey area because people who are easily dooped into excess probably weren’t making great decisions to begin with.
P.S. – Eating at Taco Bell may actually give you Shaq’s physique though…
"Why was Allen Crabbe given the starting nod while Nicolas Batum is hurt?Hiroshi M."
Although little is publicly known about Crabbe since there has been little reason for media coverage until now, he is definitely someone to keep an eye on. His game is growing and his work ethic is exceptional. Back in September, I asked a bunch of the guys what they had done over the summer to prepare for the season and most of them said something to the effect of “same old, same old.” Crabbe, however, informed me that he’d been hitting the gym three times a day as well as working on his handles. He has the right mindset for success.
I think Terry Stotts recognized this when he examined his options after Batum’s injury. He needed someone who had put in the work, understood the importance of the role, and would not throw the rest of the starters out of balance. While he probably could have slipped Dorell Wright into the lineup, there were no tangible negatives to giving Crabbe the shot he’d been working for. This isn’t to say that Wright doesn’t work hard, just that opportunities are best given to those who need them if the cost is minimal.
Crabbe has done well as a starter. He hasn’t stuffed the stat sheet, but I don’t think the Trail Blazers intend to use any stand-in at a high rate anyway. Crabbe’s textbook defense is extraordinarily useful since Wesley Matthews gets stretched thin running from fire to fire if he doesn’t have help. That is all the Trail Blazers are asking from him, though he is looking more and more comfortable with the ball in his hands. He is a lights out three-point shooter, so you I won’t complain if he takes initiative. He got the starting nod because he earned it.
That’s all for this week. Be sure to email if you’d like an opportunity to drive the Monday discussion. Leave your question and first name (or a made up one, I don’t care) in my inbox and I may pick it for the next ‘Mailbag Monday’ on November 24th.