There’s always something crazy going on in this industry. At any moment, there’s a maniac in a weight room taking a dangerous lift and a shady businessman in an office finding a way to turn dirty profits. The posts you find here in my log are the musings of a mashed-up meathead — the reactions I have as I spend my whole life watching this industry. I will share my thoughts with you here, unedited, uncensored, unfiltered, and Under The Bar. If you are offended by profanity - do not read this.
I just read the indictment for the USPLabs case and to be honest, I don't know a whole lot about the supplement industry. I can't really comment on on the indictment itself because I don't know the legal aspects, and have learned that what is listed in these things is not always the truth, sometimes it far worse, sometimes it better, legal issues are, let's just say, complicated. Regardless, based on this the perception of the company isn't good at all.
The one thing that stuck out to me from a business angle is, aside from all of the things that they're being indicted for, the social responsibility to the customers but ALSO to those who represent the brand.
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I'm looking at this from a different side and that is the side of social responsibility that is normally not spoke about. Please note this is not saying ripping customers off is good, it's not in any way at all but we've all read that, we know this, we understand it and it pisses most of us off. But what about the social responsibility these companies should have toward those who represent them? Especially when they have athletes.
Elite FTS is a company and we do have athletes, coaches, advisers, alumni, columnists, and staff that represent the brand. There's certain expectations that we require of them and certain things that we expect them to do, and things that we don't want them to do. This is much the same as most all supplement companies - and for that matter almost every company in the strength and fitness industry.
I think this relationship should go both ways. It should be a mutual relationship that if a company is gonna bring on athletes and representatives to represent their brand, well then at the same time,
it should be the company's social responsibility to be able to make sure that brand is something worth fucking representing in the first place.
These companies need to take it upon themselves to be able to represent and stand by the promises that they make. Not just for themselves, and obviously for the consumers. But, for their own team members, their own staff and their own athletes, because they are the ones going around telling people this is the greatest shit in the world and this is the ... you know ... take or buy this instead of that ... and now they all look like shit! This is because the company didn't live up to the MINIMAL expectations required. Note I wrote, minimal not exceeded expectations. While it would be great for all companies to strive to exceed exceptions that simply isn't the case. Many of happy providing the least quality they can to gain larger margins while others are willing to break the law to make even more money (breaking the law is less than minimal).
Some of these athletes are of high moral character, and now that's all being questioned because of a company that is being indicted for essentially ripping people off.
Here is another great example of this...
UFC champ Holly Holm, who stunned Ronda Rousey, is sponsored by a company that sold illegal PEDs
click headline for story link
I am pretty sure she didn't see that one coming. The question then becomes is that sponsorship even worth it for the athlete?
The takeaway of this is, if you're an athlete looking to be represent a company, do your due diligence and really dig in to make sure it's a company that you really want to represent because if they end up being indicted or they're a bunch of scum bags, eventually that's going to come back on you because you're going to be the person telling all of your friends, family and social media friends, to buy the product and support the company.
Then all of a sudden you're going to be the one left holding the bag when the hammer falls. Is your name and reputation really worth it?
At the same time, obviously if you're a company, you should stand for something and you should have some fucking responsibility and moral values, aka social responsibility, but I'm just kind of preaching in the wind here because when you're dealing with the fitness industry, as I've always said, it's one of the 3 shittiest industries in the world. I would list, in no specific order, but I've always said that, with porn, you can see people getting fucked, in Wall Street and Investments, you pretty much know that you're gonna get fucked, but in the fitness industry, you don't know you've been fucked until after it happened.