Gambling Gretsky

The fact that Gretsky's wife has been implicated in an illegal gambling ring does not bother me all that much. Really this probably has no long-ranging implications for the olympics, the NHL or even for Gretsky himself.

No, a little (or in this case alot) of illegal gambling does not bother me nearly as much as "The Great One's" practice of corporate shilling.

While in Edmonton, he endorsed everything from soft drinks and blue jeans to his own wallpaper, pillow cases, breakfast cereal, chocolate bars, and a Mattel "Great Gretzky" doll. [21] Past and present plugs include Thrifty Car Rental, Peak Antifreeze, Ford Motor Company (in Canada only), Coca-Cola, Esso, McDonald's, Campbell's Soup, Primestar TV, Upper Deck, Nike, Ultra Wheels, Hallmark Cards, Zurich Insurance, Tylenol and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. He and his son Ty did commercials for the Sharp Viewcam.

Um, is there ANYTHING that this man will not sell his name to? At very least if you are going to be a sell-out pick your buyers. Pick a company with some ETHICS!

Esso

Unlike other major oil companies, Esso has consistently refused to accept the scientific consensus that climate change is made worse by burning fossil fuels and needs to be addressed. Instead of acting against climate change, Esso lobbies against the Kyoto Protocol’s cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, doesn’t invest in renewable energy and spreads misinformation about climate change’s science. Its American parent also donated heavily to the Bush Republicans.

Nike

Despite its progressive image in the United States, Nike is a very different company in Vietnam and in other Asian manufacturing operations. Reports of physical abuse, sexual abuse, salary below minimum wage and a debilitating quota systems are confirmed by CBS News, the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, AP, Reuters as well as other non-profit and non-governmental organizations.

Coca-Cola

A lawsuit against Coca-Cola and its Colombian bottlers was filed in 2001 in a Miami federal court, charging that the company had collaborated with the paramilitaries to threaten and assassinate union organizers. Under the Alien Tort Claims Act, a U.S. company can be sued in America for its actions abroad. Lawyers from the International Labor Rights Fund took up the case with the assistance of the United Steelworkers of America. Student activists have begun boycotting Coke on campus and, perhaps most significant, the New York City Employee Pension Fund is using its Coca-Cola shares as leverage to pressure management into approving a thorough human rights probe of the company’s Colombian operations.

McDonalds

I'm not even going to go into all the MANY, MANY ethical problems associated with McDonalds. I will say this: How can a man who so intimately knows just what a well maintained body is capable of, possibly shill for something as noxious as McDonalds?