As if Ryan Lochte hasn’t done enough to hurt his sponsorship value in the pool, his mom was willing to torpedo him in an interview with NBC. With a mom like that, who needs enemies?
Going into the London 2012 games, Lochte was heir apparent to Michael Phelps’ sponsorship bonanza following the 2008 Olympics. Even before the first heat, Lochte was featured on the covers of Vogue, Men’s Health, and the biggie, TIME Magazine.
As of Saturday, Lochte reportedly had $2.3 million in sponsorships already in hand, according to Forbes. But his objective was to break Phelps’ reported $6 million after the Beijing games.
Lochte was in a good position to bank that kind of money for three reasons, according to sports economist Patrick Rishe.
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He’s more fresh in the public consciousness than Phelps
- He’s less guarded, more presentable, and more well-spoken than Phelps
- He’s outwardly personable and less diva-ish.
Which brings me to Mamma Lochte’s interview. Ike Lochte was trying to explain what a hard worker her boy was and why he didn’t have time for romance.
“He goes out on one-night stands,” she said. “He’s not able to give fully to a relationship because he’s always on the go.” She didn’t say he’s just too busy. No, mamma had to boast that her son is a player who satisfies his urges with a string of women.
So how will that go over with the public, especially women? You don’t really have to ask.
“This raises a lot of questions. Let’s start with a show of hands: Who else’s mom knows how much tail you’re getting? Who else is having conversations with the woman who gave birth to you that may involve the words “hooking up” and “booty call”? ” asked Mary Elizabeth Williams at Salon.
Jen at People I Want to Punch in the Throat was far more blunt, “Why not tell the whole world that your son is a slut and can’t commit to a woman, but would rather just love ’em and leave ’em.”
It really shouldn’t be a question of whether or not this will hurt his sponsorship value. It should. But we live in a world where rappers rake in millions with music that objectifies women. And we are talking about a swimmer who sports diamond grills and gets upset when he can’t sport his bling on the medal stand.
Sadly, somewhere out there right now is an audience that thinks Ryan Lochte is a hero.
About Project TILWO — Every day I watch London 2012 Olympic coverage on TV and online then share the lessons I learned, with occasional help from my friends. Edited by Lynn Hess @ Premier Proofing.
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