Obesity experts and researchers have found a new scapegoat to hold accountable for the rising obesity in Australia, particularly among children. According to them, Cricket Australia is indirectly contributing to the childhood obesity epidemic in Australia by using the Fried Chicken chain as a sponsor. Cricket is one of Australia’s most popular sports, and by having Cricketers who are idolized by so many children wear clothes that are badged with KFC logos, they invariably endorse unhealthy eating habits.

Researchers at the University of Sydney's Institute of Nutrition Obesity and Exercise were distressed to see how heavily this association is being advertised. There were a series of high profile television advertisements aired this year during the cricket series, which had cricketers – Ricky Ponting and his teammates – promote KFC meals. Specialists, in a letter to Cricket Australia expressed outrage at this scenario, and demanded that the Cricket Board end its sponsorship deal with the fast food chain.  

Surveys have shown that Australia’s children are the most inactive in the world. A decade old report showed that about 21% of Australia’s children and adolescents are either overweight or obese; however it is believed that those figures have risen steeply ever since. Along with rising obesity, there has also been a rise in obesity related illnesses, and it has been unfair and irresponsible on Cricket Australia’s part to promote such unhealthy, high calorie foods.

As a response to this, Cricket Australia claims that all their advertisements have been in moderation, and that they have no effect on children’s unhealthy eating habits whatsoever. In fact, Cricket Australia’s spokesman Peter Young asserted that it was KFC who helped initiate a program called In2Cricket to get children more involved in the sport, and to keep them physically active. He goes on to thank KFC for its long standing financial support to the game.

Now appears a new twist to a fried old tale: KFC was blamed for rising obesity in Australia, but it is in hot oil for more reasons than that. Cricket360 experts have uncovered that Australia’s anticipated loss to India in the current cricket series that began on October 9th has been attributed to the brand. Sadly, the team seems to be as fried as its sponsor.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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