Subway Unveils New TV Spot Featuring Phelps
July 9th, 2009 by RickFive. Five dollar. Five dollar foot lonnng.
Michael Phelps is finally back on the endorsement trail, after being shunned by some of his sponsors and dropped by Kellogs, because of a picture that circulated the internet five months back that showed him toking on a bong. The company that picked up the slack? Subway.
With their sandwich shops soon to be visited by hungry stoners worldwide, the ad execs that came up with this commercial brilliantly targeted the demographic, while at the same time, having it appear as a regular commercial for those that lack the radar for pot innuendo.
Some of the subtle clues:
- So… any coincidence that the video feed freezes on a frame where MP looks like a stereotypical stoner?
- Maybe… the looping soundtrack playing in the background — Thank you for letting me be myself again.
- Or… what about the the vibrant, eye catching colors with encrusted shiny jewels?
- Kicking it… Jared watches goofy shit on TV… you know you do it too.
- Easily the most obvious clue was the URL of the Subway website advertised… nice.
- Perhaps the words phresh, phave, and phlavor are meant for the sub-culture circle?
- Or… the use of the phrase ‘The man behind the marinara.’ What did you see the first time reading it?
- The new logo says it all… way fresh indeed.
As Kellog’s stock went down after they canned Phelps’ contract, Subway only stands to profit from their new push into an old demographic that more than likely has been eating at their franchise since its grand opening. Now, the pot smokers will simply go out of their way to eat $5 foot long subs, letting Subway and Phelps rake in the green.
Athlete Suspensions Aplenty
May 12th, 2009 by Rick
In the wake of Michael Phelps being suspended for three months for an “incriminating” photo of him toking on a bong, several other athletes have been suspended or face being suspended in their respective sport.
NASCAR had a random drug test last weekend at Richmond International Raceway, in which NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield failed. Mayfield was suspended infinitely, which led to his disqualification from entering Saturday’s night Sprint Cup, held at the Darlington Speedway. Mayfield is also the first driver to be suspended under the improved substance abuse policy.
In Brussels, Belgium, the 2005 World Cycling Champion Tom Boonen, was suspended by his Quick Step team, after testing positive for cocaine. After winning the Paris-Roubaix classic earlier in April, he was tested weeks later on April 24th by Flanders regional government authorities. This is Boonen’s second time for testing positive for cocaine, the last time leading to his missing the Tour De France.
On Saturday, Boonen admitted he had a “problem”:
The night before the drug test, I went. I stayed for a while and I drank. At some stage I must have taken something. Then I had a blackout. [...] I think I have a problem. After spending three to four months working, when I go out I probably over-step the mark and I become someone else. [...] For 364 days a year, it’s perfect. I try to be an exemplary citizen. But the day that I drink too much, something that I don’t do often, I change. I will now seek help.
He’s human, like the rest of us… and recreationally taking cocaine is not like taking a performance enhancing drug. Boonen won’t face sporting sanctions because cocaine is not on the list of cycling’s banned substances for non-competing athletes. What I find amazing is the fact that it is a regional government conducting the drug tests, not the industry itself. Why would those that govern the sporting industry submit their athletes to local government sanctioned drug tests?
In the world of tennis, 22-year old Richard Gasquet tested positive for cocaine. Back in March he pulled out of the Miami Masters with a shoulder injury and the “A” sample test administered there showed traces of the banned drug. Gasquet can be banned for 2 years if the “B” sample comes back positive for cocaine.
Gasquet admitted on Sunday:
The test of the B sample submitted at the end of March 2009, confirmed the positive result of the A sample taken on the same day. [...] I want to prove my innocence and will explain myself at an appropriate time. Given the complexity of the case, I am gathering the evidence of my innocence and will later set a date to make further comments.
Gasquet submitted himself to an independent hair analysis test which showed no trace of cocaine. If this is true then that’s good for Gasquet because it shows he’s not a habitual user of the recreational drug. Again he’s human… taking a recreational drug is better than taking an illegal drug that enhances his ability to play tennis. Wait, come to think of it that would be pot for some people.
Tiger Woods was even tested twice this year under the PGA Tour’s anti-doping policy, with one of the times being when he wasn’t even playing, due to his knee surgery. They (of course) came back negative, the only thing that seems to get Tiger high is golf.
However there is hope for the suspended. After all Michael Phelps has recovered from his suspension, a time that left him apparently thinking about giving it up:
I literally just woke up on a Sunday and wanted to swim another four years. [...] I don’t know what it was but it switched on in my head. [...] During the break, I was up in the air about everything. The hardest thing was, I did everything I wanted to do. I was like, ‘Where do I go from here?’
Phelps said that he doesn’t plan to retire and will be in the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, competing in some new events looking to add to his already impressive gold medal collection. His first meet is in May at the UltraSwim in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Public Support for Legalization at All-Time High
May 5th, 2009 by Russ
A notoriously obtuse American public may finally be catching up to the reality that marijuana prohibition causes more harm than good. According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll, more Americans now support pot legalization than ever before. 46 percent of Americans now support legalizing ’small amounts of marijuana for personal use.’
This represents a ten percent jump in the last four years, which is a relatively huge shift in popular support for such a short time. Even during the weed-friendly Carter administration, support for legalization never rose higher than 28% (in 1977).
While tFS is confident that its own efforts are largely responsible for the newest poll results, other political factors may also account for this green-moving trend. Some of these factors include the weed-friendly stances of many mainstream celebrities and athletes (including the Michael Phelps bong fiasco), the worsening drug-related violence in Mexico, and the recognition of weed as a potential US cash crop in the midst of a debilitating recession.
Bruce Mirkin of the Marijuana Policy Project noted:
There is clearly more interest and serious discussion of whether marijuana prohibition makes any sense than I’ve seen at any point in my adult lifetime… Marijuana prohibition has become like the Soviet Empire circa 1987 or 1988… It’s an empty shell of a policy that continues only because it is perceived as being huge and formidable, but when the perception changes, the whole thing is going to collapse.
Well, the perception is certainly changing. And, as it happens, altered perceptions are the weed culture’s specialty.
Usain Bolt No Longer in Cannabis Closet
April 14th, 2009 by Erin
First Phelps, now Bolt. These guys set world records and proved themselves as some of the most amazing athletes in the world, and lo and behold, they’re weed smokers (or have done it in the past.) People will try marijuana, yes, even Olympic champs, and the majority of them will enjoy the shit out of it.
If you don’t know who Usain Bolt is, he breaks records. Most recently, he broke the 100 and 200-meter world records at the ‘08 Beijing Olympics. He was also part of the Jamaican team that broke the world mark in the 400-meter relay.
According to Bolt:
In Jamaica, you learn as a child how to roll a joint. Everyone here has tried it. I did too — but I was real young then. My family and my friends don’t smoke and I don’t hang out any longer with people who smoke.
Clearly he learned to do a few other things well, and the joint-rolling has not stopped him from becoming a strong, healthy competitor, and smoking weed doesn’t appear to be much of a threat to his accomplishments or his career.
Hit the Deck — It’s an Israel Bong Bust
March 31st, 2009 by Rick
Israeli police raided a factory in Hafia in northern Israel and seized 15,000 marijuana pipes (bongs) that were planned for distribution. The 60-year old owner was also arrested.
According to spokesman Micky Rosenfeld:
Pipes and other drug paraphernalia are a common sight at Israeli kiosks but these items were banned a few weeks ago and police are cracking down.
The majority of marijuana is smuggled into Israel by Bedouin across the porous border with Egypt. The rest comes from Gaza and Lebanon, though these routes are less common due to recent hostilities.
It’s hard to believe that among everything being smuggled into Israel that persists to be evasive to control, that the Israeli police are concerned with drug paraphernalia. It was a good thing that someone over there was smoking weed… now all they have to do is all come together and go Michael Phelps on it.
Kellogg’s Gets Hit By Karma
February 25th, 2009 by Perry
Business Insider recently looked at how Kellogg’s has actually been hurt by dropping Phelps over the bong photo.
Based on the Vanno Company Reputation index, the article reports Kellogg’s used to be rated 9th in America, but since the photo and the company’s decision to drop Phelps as their marketing spokesman, the company has fallen to a shoddy 83rd.
Noting that peanut butter recalls have also played a role, the dramatic decline is shown above.
Joe Rogan Writes to Kellogg’s
February 18th, 2009 by Silvio
I think it’s safe to say that everybody with a television set and/or internet access is aware of the whole Michael Phelps and Kellogg’s fiasco.
What could be considered a moral scandal, turns slowly into a platform for all kinds of people supporting and defending Phelps’ actions, and criticizing not only his former sponsor, but question the very standards of the nation’s drug policy.
One very dedicated example for this is an open letter to Kellogg’s by Joe Rogan, posted on his website.
Click through to see Rogan’s entire letter to Kellogg’s after the jump.
Bill Maher’s $0.02 on Phelps
February 16th, 2009 by PerryUsually, Bill Maher is way too far out in left field for me to take seriously, but he really hits the point here. The real scandal here is that every single athlete, celebrity and famous personality “caught” being around marijuana is forced into a fake apology.
As Maher points out, who deserves a bong rip more than Phelps?
