To be like Mike, you have to do things like Mike, which means buy the products he promotes. Seeing notorious athletes on television grabs children's attention; they no longer want to flip the channel or leave the room. Instead, they want to see what these athletes are talking about. Companies recognize that sports athletes are icons to kids all around the world. Using this knowledge, companies are endorsing these famous athletes to appear in their commercials. Kids want to be just like their icons, so they want the product the athlete is promoting. It does not matter what the product is. Whether it is shoes, deodorant or even food from McDonald's, kids want to have the product for themselves. By paying these athletes millions of dollars to say a few words on television, companies are increasing their sales. Why should they hire an unknown actor to do their commercials, when they can get a well known, loved by everyone, superstar? Ask yourself this question. If you saw your icon on a television commercial promoting a product, would you want to own that product? Companies know the answer to that question is yes, and that is why more and more sports icons are being featured in commercials. .
Television commercials are not the only place where we can find sports icons promoting products. When you flip through a magazine, do you stop and look at all the ads? No, you just flip in search of a non-ad page worth reading. But what if one of your favorite sports athletes, who you absolutely admire appears larger-than-life in the ad? You would definitely take your time and carefully look at the ad. Most likely you will end up wanting the product they are promoting and later buying it. This is another victory for advertising companies. The millions of dollars they gave to the athlete for one picture paid off because you, the consumer, saw the ad, fell in the trap and bought the product. .
What is this world coming to when all it takes to sell a product is having someone famous hold it in his or her hands? Many people these days are overly self-conscious and long for popularity; they want to be hip just like everyone else.