New York City's Anti-Sugary Drinks Subway Ads

It’s unlikely that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will persuade as many kids (and adults) to stop drinking Gatorade as basketball great Michael Jordan will entice to start, but you have to give Bloomberg credit for trying.

Ads like this one (click on it for more detail) have been seen on the city’s subway cars for several weeks now, part of a campaign to raise awareness about the health dangers of sodas, sports drinks, sweetened coffees and their like.

Some argue that this is an overreaching intervention into our private lives by a nanny-like government, but I see it as a necessary counterbalance to the incessant marketing put forth by all-powerful, for-profit corporations.

The ads are costing the city less than $200,000 (a private fund is paying a portion as well), a drop in the bucket compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars spent over the years brainwashing kids (and adults) to believe that Gatorade is an essential part of a workout.

If Bloomberg, by way of the subway shock ads, can get one person to stop drinking any of these overly sugared drinks, he has succeeded, in my opinion. Even if the ads only work to start a conversation about the issue, that’s a win as well.