I love my LA Galaxy, and because I love them, I say that they must ditch Herbalife Nutrition as their sponsor. It's long past time. Hell, it never should have happened in the first place. Herbalife is a pyramid scheme, plain and simple. That is completely unacceptable.
Of course, Herbalife has taken great pains over the years to assert their legality as "multi-level marketing" and defend themselves from accusations of being a dirty pyramid scheme. God knows how much money they've spent on lawyers all these years. But, it doesn't matter what they say. Their business structure is this: distributors must buy a bunch of product from Herbalife and sell the product themselves. If they recruit new members, they get a cut of their sales and the sales of members they too recruit, and so on. That is a pyramid scheme. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. You don't even have to take my word for it. Some quick googling will find you plenty of reputable sources exposing Herbalife for what they are. To get you started, here are pieces by The New York Times, The Atlantic, and CNN.
They only continue to legally exist because the government has had its head up its ass since 1979 when they relaxed the rules defining pyramid schemes. Just because the government isn't doing its job, does not make Herbalife acceptable or justified. Wall Street screwed over our entire country and got away with it, but we all agree they're a bag of dicks and should have been punished. Herbalife is no different. Fortunately, right now the Federal Trade Commission is investigating them, so there is still hope the government will do the right thing.
Regardless of whatever feces Herbalife spews out of its public relations mouth, the fact is Herbalife profits by deceiving the gullible poor, promising them amazing profits they most likely will never earn. Hardly any of their members make a profit sizeable enough to justify the time and effort invested, much less a livable wage. They lose half their members every year, but replace them with new unsuspecting victims. They use cheap labor to reap in profits with zero risk because the labor bears the entire financial burden. If their product was truly viable, they would sell it in stores and/or online like a normal corporation. When it comes down to it, they are bad news bears.
So why does this matter for the LA Galaxy? Herbalife Nutrition is plastered across their jerseys, throughout StubHub Center, merchandise, and media. You can't read "Galaxy" on the jersey from far away, only "Herbalife Nutrition." They are not only deeply associated with the Galaxy, they front and center.
Actually, association is too light to accurately describe their relationship; it's a partnership. A continued partnership means that the Galaxy support Herbalife's business model and practices. The Galaxy might as well hold a press conference to declare that they're okay with taking advantage of poor people in the interest of corporate greed. If that's what Herbalife stands for, then that's what the LA Galaxy stand for when Herbalife is branded all over the Galaxy.
If you asked anyone from the Galaxy if they're okay with that, they would say, "Absolutely not!" The LA Galaxy are a classy organization. They were the first American sports club to embrace and proudly field an openly gay male athlete, they constantly give back through their charitable foundation, and their employees all conduct themselves in a dignified and respectable manner. To be partnered and associated with such trash as Herbalife is just not them. And it's not right.
Sports clubs are more than just entertainment organizations. Players, coaches, and staff are role models: for kids most especially, but also for adults who look to them for inspiration. Sports clubs play a vital role in shaping the moral fabric of our society. They must hold themselves to high standards, and we must hold them to that that too. The LA Galaxy usually do, but not when it comes to their sponsor. We can not let this slide. Herbalife Nutrition must go, and that's all there is to it.
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