#1 Cochran, Nike, Big Ben Roethlisberger

I was reading an article on the evils of PowerPoint in the NY Times today when I saw a sidebar advertising an article about Ben Roethlisberger. This is how bad The Ben's status is: you can find articles about him while you're not even looking for them.

I recommend you go here to read Timothy Egan's treatise, but let me tease you with a few key paragraphs:

..."Is there anything creepier than a big, beer-breathed celebrity athlete exposing himself in a night club and hitting on underage girls, all the while protected by an entourage of off-duty cops? Well, yes. It’s the big, corporate sponsor — Nike, in this case — that continues trying to sell product with the creep as their role model."

..."If this guy didn’t have a pair of Super Bowl Rings and a $102 million contract to entertain us on Sundays, most people would see him for what he is: a thug with a predatory sense of entitlement."

..."At the company headquarters in Oregon, Nike helps obscure female athletes train and find a community of equally motivated women. That’s one message from Nike. The other is: It’s O.K. for a buffoon of a man to disrespect women, so long as he continues to throw a football well."

#1 Cochran also sponsors Roethlisberger

To say nothing of #1 Cochran and Big Ben Trucks.com. Pittsburgh's #1 Cochran also sponsors Big Ben.



I was pleasantly surprised to see on their website that #1 Cochran has won the Pittsburgh 2010 Business Ethics Award:


The award, given to #1 Cochran in the medium-size company category, is presented to honor local companies that demonstrate a firm commitment to ethical business practices.

Kind of funny when you consider the company they keep.