Monday, Aug. 10, 2009

Brought to You by Adidas

Fidel Castro is an Adidas man. Apparently the yanqui-baiting octogenarian, formerly a die-hard fan of military fatigues, now favors the kind of ready-to-wear warm-up gear that only a German-based sports company can provide. While recuperating from surgery in 2006, Castro shunned the standard hospital gown and instead opted to showcase his good health by donning a red, white and blue tracksuit emblazoned with the familiar logo. "We don't really look at it as anything," Travis Gonzolez, head of Adidas p.r., told the New York Times when asked about the apparent endorsement. "It's not a positive, not a negative. We are a sports brand. We are making products for athletes, we are not making them for leaders." Which explains why Adidas agreed in 2004 and 2008 to outfit Cuba's Olympic team.