Big Ben Beef Jerky Safe, But For How Long?

Whenever a star athlete finds themselves embroiled in a personal scandal, sports media begins fixating on whether the athlete in question will be dropped by their corporate sponsors. Because it’s not enough to priggishly shame a celebrity, the press wants to chide companies for having a business relationship with them. Because, obviously, if one exists, that means they must tacitly approve of whatever horrible thing the star did, right?↵↵Tiger Woods offered much fodder for this department, being that he was the most bankable sports celebrity on the planet. Now it’s Ben Roethlisberger’s turn to earn the public’s scorn, even though he hasn’t been convicted of a crime, much less even charged with one. Nevertheless, two allegations of sexual assault have been made within the span of a year, so people are starting to wonder aloud about his conduct off the field.↵

↵↵Problem is, for a star of his caliber, Roethlisberger doesn’t have a ton of endorsement deals. Darren Rovell, who is a bit of an expert in these things, commented on Twitter yesterday about the relative dearth of Big Ben marketing deals. ↵

↵↵Ah, but there is Pittsburgh-based PLB Sports, which markets “Big Ben Beef Jerky”. Like the quarterback’s other sponsors, little-known entities such as Nike and Dick’s Sporting Goods, the company is expressing misgivings about the allegations, but until more facts come to light, is unwilling to make any rash decisions about their business arrangement. One would assume if they choose to drop him, another celebrity would have to assume the jerky-hawking mantle. ↵

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