Lamar Odom & Power Balance Bracelets on Wikipedia

Never heard of this man before he was quoted by Yahoo Weekend News on the video that Dominique Dawes did on the Power Balance Bracelet. The IIG at the insistence of Steering Member Wendy Hughes had already begun to investigate these wonder bracelets, when Jim Underdown was approached by Dawes and Yahoo.

We set up a double blind test for the bracelet which failed the challenge. This article isn't about that test, see http://www.iigwest.org/investigations/powerbalance/index.html for detail on that. This blog is about my attempt to get the interview with Odom on his Wiki page.

Here is my blurb under the category "Personal Life"

"On October 28, 2010 Olympic Champion Gymnast Dominique Dawes working for Yahoo Weekend News investigated Power Balance Bracelets for their claim that they improve balance, flexibility and strength. Odom endorses Power Balance bracelets and states on camera that "if it gives you an advantage, that's the advantage you want". Dawes asked "are you superstitious knowing you won...wearing power balance?" Odom's answer "100%". After a scientific double blinded test done by IIG's LA office and Dawes the end result was no improvement when wearing the Power Balance bracelet."

It was removed a few days later saying it is only "loosely relevant" to Odom.

My response moved to the discussion page and here it is with its response...

This issue is concerning the relevance of Lamar Odom's continued endorsement of Power Balance bracelets. He has stated that he always wears it, and believes that it gives him an edge on the court. Not only does he endorse it, he is a spokesman for the product. He was interviewed by Olympic Gymnast Dominica Dawes, and Yahoo Weekend News for the Power Balance Bracelet. Power Balance is beginning to be reported often in the news but does not (yet?) deserve a Wikipedia page on its own. So the issue is timely. The citation is listed under Personal items though it clearly concerns his career in sports as well has his private life as a product endorser. I do not understand how an editor can say leaving his visit to a wedding, appearing briefly in a Taco Bell commercial and liking candy so much that Wrigley made him a special statue is more relevant to Wikipedia's readers? The video and interview I cite uses him as the sports spokesman for the product. I state only the facts (per Wikipedia policy) in the edit. I'm respectfully arguing that the citation be used as it is timely, and relevant for the long term. SGerbic (talk) 22:10, 13 November 2010 (UTC)

There are several other facts in the article that could probably be removed. I wouldn't care if you removed the trivia about his fondness for candy. But let's just focus on the Power Balance issue. If, as you say, the bracelet does not even deserve its own Wikipedia article, then I don't think we need to spend a whole paragraph talking about it here. Maybe if someone takes legal action against Odom, it would be worth mentioning, but otherwise, I just think it's an awkward digression. Zagalejo^^^ 04:27, 15 November 2010 (UTC)

Oddly enough a few days later someone came out out a Power Balance Bracelet Wiki page. That's another subject for a later blog.

So you don't win all the fights, but this is still listed in the history area of his page. Power Balance Bracelets are still slightly in the news (outside the skeptical movement) as there is a stadium in Sacramento now called Power Balance Stadium. But really the spotlight is fading and until there is something newsworthy happening I won't try again. Odom's page is carefully updated I suppose there are a lot of Laker's fans out there.

Sometimes you might lose a battle but it should not keep you from trying. I don't want to get into it with other editors, the battle isn't that important.

*******

I've just become aware of this announcement from January 2011 (should have set up my Google alert for this)
Power Balance and Lamar Odom are being sued!  So guess what is going up on his page today?  I knew if I waited long enough I would be able to use that edit.  Thankfully it is all set to go up.  http://www.wired.com/playbook/2011/01/nba-lawsuit-power-balance/all/1


Here is my Wikipedia edit as of 2 minutes ago.

A class-action lawsuit was filed January 21, 2011 against [[Power Balance]], [[Shaquille O’Neal]] and Lamar Odom for endorsing the bracelet that claimed to improve balance, flexibility and strength. The Power Balance company in Australia has been forced by a court to admit that the $30 bracelet works no better than a [[placebo]]. The lawsuit by Brian Casserly and 100 others claims that Odom and O'Neal "wear the product in front of millions of impressionable fans watching on national TV."<ref>{{cite web|last=Malinowski |first=Erik |url= http://www.wired.com/playbook/2011/01/nba-lawsuit-power-balance/all/1
 |title=Basketball Stars Sued Over Energy-Bracelet Endorsement |publisher=Wired |date=2011-01-26 |accessdate=2011-06-22}}</ref>