Sachin Tendulkar, the renowned cricketer, has disclosed that he turned down numerous offers to promote tobacco products on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day. Speaking at an event in Mumbai, Tendulkar shared that his father, Ramesh Tendulkar, advised him against endorsing the use of tobacco.
When Tendulkar began his career in the Indian cricket team, he received multiple advertising offers, but his father’s guidance prevented him from accepting any deals related to tobacco products. Tendulkar mentioned that for nearly two years, he did not have a sticker on his bat while other players were endorsing cigarette brands. Despite suggestions from marketers to utilize the stickers for financial gain, Tendulkar remained committed to his father’s advice.
“This was a promise I made to my father. He told me I am a role model and a lot of people will follow what I do. That is why I have never endorsed tobacco products or alcohol. In the 1990s, my bat didn’t have a sticker on it, I didn’t have a contract. But everybody else in the team was endorsing two brands in particular – Wills and Four Square,” Tendulkar explained.
He further emphasized, “I didn’t break the promise that I gave to my father by not endorsing these brands. I got many offers from them to endorse their brand by having their sticker on my bat, but I didn’t want to promote all that. I have stayed away from these two things and have never broken the promise to my father.”
