It may seem counterintuitive at first glance, but athletes make the perfect spokespeople and advertising partners for fast food establishments. After all, if anyone can seamlessly work a few fast food meals per week into their diet, it's a professional athlete burning thousands of calories daily through practices and workouts. Partnerships between sports leagues and fast food establishments are plentiful, with the likes of Taco Bell and McDonald's sponsoring promotions and advertising during major sporting events, but some of the most iconic partnerships over the years have been formed between fast food companies and individual athletes, both through formal agreements and informal trips through the drive-thru.
Below are some of the athletes who have shown a love for drive-thrus over the years.
Usain Bolt and Ryan Lochte (McDonald's)
This one somehow hasn't made its way into a McDonald's ad over the years, but the world's fastest man was fueled exclusively by chicken nuggets from McDonald's during his record-setting performance at the 2008 Olympics. Usain Bolt confirms in his autobiography "The Fastest Man Alive" that McNuggets were the only food he trusted not to upset his stomach in Beijing, so he ate them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. All in all, Bolt likely ate over 1,000 chicken nuggets during his fortnight in Beijing while setting new world records in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes at the 2008 Olympics. Bolt wasn't the only successful 2008 Olympian fueled by McDonald's, as American swimmer Ryan Lochte also claims to have eaten almost exclusively McDonald's while picking up four medals in Beijing.
Giannis "50 Piece" Antetokounmpo (Chick-Fil-A)
Giannis Antetokounmpo celebrated his championship-clinching 50-point performance in Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals by ordering a 50-piece of chicken nuggets from Chick-Fil-A. In his order, Giannis calls for "50 exactly, not 51, not 49" nuggets to match the 50-piece he dropped on the Suns to add the 2021 Larry O'Brien Trophy and NBA Finals MVP to his pair of regular season NBA MVP Awards in 2019 and 2020.
Michael Jordan (McDonald's)
Jordan isn't the only NBA player to win five MVPs or six titles, but he was the only celebrity to have a McDonald's meal named after him until rapper Travis Scott got one in 2020. Fresh off the first of his six championship runs in 1991, Jordan partnered with McDonald's on the McJordan burger: a cheeseburger with pickles, raw onion, old-school style round bacon, and barbecue sauce on a sesame seed bun. This burger was available only in Chicago, where Jordan's Bulls were embarking on one of the most dominant stretches in league history on the court, while His Airness was making fast food partnership history off the court. The McJordan meal consisting of the custom burger, large fries and a medium soda retailed for $3.59 – the fries alone will run you more in a Chicago McDonald's drive-thru these days.
Shaquille O'Neal (Big Chicken)
Shaquille O'Neal has never been shy about exploring business ventures away from the basketball court. The Hall of Fame center is a fixture in the NBA on TNT studio, has starred in commercials for products such as IcyHot and The General Automobile Insurance, and he even owns franchise locations for restaurants such as Papa John's, Five Guys, and Krispy Kreme. Instead of partnering with an established fast food chain, Shaq decided to start his own fast food establishment with Big Chicken. The original Big Chicken opened in Las Vegas in 2018, and it has since expanded to 18 locations around the United States. As the name suggests, this Shaq-owned franchise serves large portions of chicken, mostly in sandwich form. You can round out your Big Chicken meal with hefty sides such as fries or mac-n-cheese, but make sure to save room for the Big Cookie, which is the size of a basketball.
Anthony Edwards (McDonald's)
The connection between athletes and fast food is strongest in the NBA, and 2020 first overall pick Anthony Edwards is poised to follow in the footsteps of Jordan, Shaq, and Giannis as the next basketball star who popularizes his love for both fast food and fast breaks. At a 2022 postgame press conference, Edwards delayed taking questions so he could put in a McDonald's order on his phone.
Chad Ochocinco and Devonta Smith (McDonald's)
Like Bolt did in Beijing, numerous NFL players incorporate a McDonald's meal into their pregame routine. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith eats a chicken McGriddle, two hash browns, and an orange juice for breakfast on every game day, but retired wide receiver Chad Ochocinco takes the cake when it comes to unconventional NFL diets. Ochocinco would eat McDonald's religiously during his NFL career, with a daily dose of hotcakes with sausage, a sausage McMuffin, and an orange juice for breakfast. The rest of his dietary routine included strawberry frosted pop tarts, fried chicken, and a slice of chocolate cake. Ochocinco also credits eating McDonald's for his ability to stay largely injury-free, both as a kid and during his NFL playing days.
Floyd Mayweather (McDonald's)
Floyd Mayweather's diet includes significant amounts of junk food and soda, so it's no surprise that he has frequently been spotted at fast food joints, including McDonald's, Burger King, and Popeyes. The undefeated boxer's most famous drive-thru trip occurred after his 2013 victory over Canelo Alvarez. Mayweather came into the light middleweight championship bout in Vegas with a perfect 44-0 record while Alvarez entered at 42-0-1. After handing Alvarez the first loss of his career, Mayweather drove to McDonald's, where he ordered six sausage McMuffins (two without meat), eight hash browns, and three large orange juices.
Justin Verlander (Taco Bell)
In a 2012 interview with Conan O'Brien, Justin Verlander revealed the secret to his dominance on the mound: Taco Bell. The night before every start, Verlander gets three crunchy taco supremes (no tomato), a cheesy gordita crunch, and a Mexican pizza (no tomato). Taco Bell's annual "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco" promotion gives away one free taco per customer after the first stolen base in the World Series. Verlander was unable to incorporate the promotion into his pregame ritual last year, as he had already exited Game 1 of the 2022 World Series when Kyle Schwarber stole a base in the seventh inning. Steal a Base, Steal a Taco ran in 2007, 2008, 2012, and continuously since 2015. Before Schwarber, the base stealers who won Taco Bell customers free tacos were Jacoby Ellsbury, Jason Bartlett, Angel Pagan, Lorenzo Cain, Francisco Lindor, Cameron Maybin, Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Betts again, and Ozzie Albies.
Stefon Diggs and Deshaun Watson (Popeyes)
Stefon Diggs isn't shy about his love of the Popeyes chicken sandwich. After praising the sandwich in a 2019 tweet stating that it's "businnn out the wrapper", the then-Vikings wide receiver went a step further a few months later, busting out some custom cleats to pay homage to the sandwich's return. The orange and white cleats featured a drawing of the sandwich and the words "Open Sunday," which was a dig at Popeyes' rival in the chicken sandwich wars, Chick-Fil-A. Since 2019, numerous competitors have thrown their hats in the ring with upgraded chicken sandwiches, including KFC, Wendy's, and Burger King. Like Diggs, quarterback Deshaun Watson is on team Popeyes. Watson credited eating Popeyes' spicy chicken sandwiches with helping heal an eye injury in a post-game interview the same weekend that Diggs wore his Popeyes-promoting cleats.
Subway's Many Endorsements
While we have seen plenty of examples of athletes seeking out or endorsing their favorite fast foods, these relationships can be a two-way street, and Subway is the prime example. Perhaps because subs and wraps intuitively sound healthier than burgers and fried chicken sandwiches, Subway has committed substantial resources to marketing through athletes in recent years. Recent Subway commercials have featured the likes of Stephen Curry, Charles Barkley, Tom Brady, Serena Williams, Tony Romo, Derek Jeter, and even T.J., J.J. and Derek Watt. This isn't the first time Subway has gone the athlete route with advertising, as Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps signed a sponsorship agreement with the submarine sandwich chain way back in 2008. Phelps claimed to eat 12,000 calories per day back in his swimming prime, and that diet included at least one footlong sub daily.
If you are interested in online wagering, "drive through" the best Sports Betting Sites!
