swimmers in commercials

Has anyone else noticed in that Anti-drug commercial with the relay swimmers, that it is a medley relay (so why are the swimmers up on the blocks ?). How about the old milk commercial with the butterfly swimmer (his last stroke in the commercial from what I have been told he jumped off the bottom of the pool). In regards to the nike commercials - they had the one titled move, where it was a montage of people and sports (starts off with a boy running down the street and continues to do quick cuts to other sports - there are several swimmers, a diver and triathletes used in that commercial - the commercials last few scenes is a diver hitting the water, bubbles, triathletes swimming exiting the water, getting on their bikes and then cutting to the boy from the beginning of the commercial running down the street). Hey at least the new nike swim suit catalogs are using real swimmers as models for their competition line of suits, for the 'fashion' suits they are using models unlike other swimwear companies.

Originally posted by aquageek Seems quite realistic to me. You do drugs, you ge thrown off your team. Most high schools drug test student-athletes so, as a matter of fact, you are quite wrong. No, the commercial isn't implying the swimmer was kicked off the team. The commercial is implying the swimmer missed her event because she was getting high out in the parking lot or wherever. The relay team is behind the blocks ready to go, but their fourth member is missing. If the message of the commercial was "If you take drugs you risk getting thrown off your high school team" that would probably be a more effective message.

The beer commercial and every Bally's commercial I have ever seen they don't wear goggles. You don't to hire some attractive model who can swim passably and then put goggles on them so they look dorky err ummm unconventionally atractive. We all look *unconventionally attractive* with our goggles on. Anyway same idea with people swimming with their heads out of the water, or the prevalence of fly and breastroke. Can't see those beautiful faces.

knelson - there is a commercial by the same group where the basketball player gets thrown off the team for using drugs. One might also assume that if you decided to get stoned and miss your swim meet, you would probably also get kicked off. Seems to be a case of splitting hairs.

The implied message in the relay commercial is that you not only are doing something that is destructive (in terms of the user's life), but you are failing to live up to your responsibilities as a constructive participant in society (you let down your teammates). A little too refined and circumspect for the audience that it apparently targets. And the implication that someone who is so wasted on drugs would be able to train enough and be trusted to swim a leg of a relay team is a stretch, too. The old eggs in the frying pan commercial is much more direct, succinct, and graphic.

Maybe in Pasadena, CA the public schools are a "joke." But, please don't lump all public schools into the same category as what you see in California. Many of us have long realized that what passes for normal or a joke, for that matter, in California is certainly not an accurate representation of what we see in other parts of the country, where schooling and parenting are taken more seriously.

Allen, Living here in La La Land I get several requests per year as SPMA Chairman to supply swimmers for commercials. The agencies are trying to get good looking real swimmers for their comercials. So I usually send them to Michael Heather:D Actually a few years ago when SCAQ was part of the system, they had a team photo with dozens of individual photos and each persons occupation. About half listed actor/model. I remember Shannon was one. The commercial where the woman beats the man and gets the beer reminds me of one couple here who will race 200 back (Woman) versus 200 fly (man). I love watching them race. I guess loser does dishes:p

Stop sterotying the kids in California. The LA area is not full of white upper-middle class stone surfers at the high school level. In fact, the largest populaton of students there are hispanic and some of their problems are even more serious like avoiding involvement with gangs.

cinc - not sure anyone is stereotyping CA kids. Not sure where you got that from. Also, where do you get your facts that the majority of CA kids are hispanic. Seems to me you are the one stereotyping, since more kids allegedly have to avoid gangs than drugs.

Originally posted by aquageek: Many of us have long realized that what passes for normal or a joke, for that matter, in California is certainly not an accurate representation of what we see in other parts of the country, I couldn't imagine where she got the idea that it was OK to stereotype anything about California.