BY CURTIS WOODWARD

@woodward_curtis

McDonald’s, KFC, Milo, Mars bars and Coca-Cola. All unhealthy and all will help eventually kill you. But what else do they in common?

They are all major sponsors of Australia’s three biggest sports codes – rugby league, AFL and cricket.

KFC have their deep fried fingers in two of the sporting pies (NRL and cricket) while the AFL boast both McDonald’s and Mars as major partners.

And it wasn’t that long ago former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke was spruiking healthy lifestyles for kids on television. When the interview was finished, the first ad to appear was the entire Aussie team soaking up the sun in some hipsters backyard – chowing down on an endless bucket of the colonel’s finest. All these corporate monsters of the fast food world don’t give a damn about your kids. They market to the younger demographic all-year round. Hell, KFC in America have just re-branded Colonel Sanders as a 35-year-old.

Yet the mummy squad (don’t worry – the mummy squad includes men too) or as Clint Eastwood calls them, the ‘pussy generation’ (this also includes men), would have you believe that alcohol is the real issue in sports broadcasting. After all, every team and their dog have a VB or XXXX logo splashed somewhere on their uniforms.

Those same mums and dads worried that their 8-year-old might start binge drinking because they saw Johnathan Thurston scoring a try on the ‘Bundy Rum Replay’ aren’t so worried about the terrible habits they’re teaching their kids.

What terrible habits you ask?

While Thurston is scoring and said 8-year-old is considering the shortest route to Liquor Land, mummy and daddy are furiously Facebooking about how terrible it is that these grog companies are training their kids to drink. They fail to remember they’re shoving a Zinger Burger and a box of nuggets down their kid’s mouth with the other hand. They’re so angry and outraged that they fail to see little Timmy in the fridge slugging back a two-litre bottle of Coke which mysteriously made its way into the house and most definitely wasn’t bought by mum and dad. Nudge, nudge.

But those grog logos are brainwashing our kids, Curtis!

No they’re not.

If you’re worried about your kid picking up a drinking habit, you’ve failed as a parent.

But what about the logos, Curtis!

Stop blaming everyone else. Do a better job. At the end of the day, alcohol isn’t the problem because it isn’t marketed at children. Fast food is.

This writer still remembers playing footy as a kid and every weekend having the chance to receive the coach’s ‘Macca’s Award’ for man of the match. Yes, they were around then too. But in those days, you were lucky to get McDonald’s out of your parents once a fortnight – sometimes it was even longer. The difference now is the modern day parent. Quick to blame others, never prepared to take responsibility.

How many times would you be sitting in the car with your parents and see the mighty golden arches in the distance only to be shot down as fast as you can say, “MACCA’S!”

A study published in Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health earlier this year found 1.25 million children involved in sports programs alone are being exposed to “unhealthy” messages. That’s not taking the millions that watch on television and live at the grounds where branding is everywhere.

The mouthpieces for these companies will regularly argue that parents should educate their children about eating unhealthy food in moderation as part of a balanced diet and active lifestyle.

Even the fast food Satanists are spelling it out for the outraged masses.

If you’re complaining about grog companies then you’re part of the problem and your kids are the ones paying the price.

It’s time to wake up and smell the french fries people.

It’s time fast food advertising was given the punt.

For the sake of parents around the country too blind to help their own sports-mad children.

@woodward_curtis