Michael Phelps for Omega Watches
Posted on 25. Nov, 2009 by Chandra Coleman in Omega
We all remember that embarrassing photograph that flew around the Internet last year at this time of Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps smoking pot from a bong. Whoops. 
A few months after the escapade, on February 16, 2009, a decision was made not to charge Phelps.
During that time some of Phelps’ sponsors let him go, thinking that his now negative reputation would hurt sales of their product, but others, like Omega watches, hung in there.
Phelps has been an Ambassador for Omega watches since 2004. On Omega’s website the luxury watch brand refers to Phelps as “the world’s best all-around swimmer since his appearance at the 2000 Sydney Games at the age of 15.” He went pro at age 16 and is the youngest man ever to set a world swimming record. “OMEGA is proud to have such an exceptional athlete as an ambassador. With his impressive dedication to performance and his determination always to give his best, he shares the same pioneer spirit as the brand.”
Phelps wears the Seamaster Planet Ocean Big Size men’s watch by Omega and coincidentally, he was wearing this watch when he was snapped taking a bong hit. Likelihood is that along with sales of PowerBars, due to “munchies”, (another brand that Phelps sponsors), sales of Omega watches probably got a boost as a result of all this publicity.
Recently Phelps was back in the news and under scrutiny but it turns out to be a case of mistaken identity. There is another Michael Phelps who lives in California that owes $20,000 in back taxes. Oops.
