Ryan Lochte's brand value sinks amid Rio scandal

close

Video

Ryan Lochte's brand value sinks amid Rio scandal

Brazilian police say U.S. swimmers lied about robbery

DISCLAIMER: THE FOLLOWING "Cost of Freedom Recap" CONTAINS STRONG OPINIONS WHICH ARE NOT A REFLECTION OF THE OPINIONS OF FOX NEWS AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON AS INVESTMENT ADVICE WHEN MAKING PERSONAL INVESTMENT DECISIONS. IT IS FOX NEWS' POLICY THAT CONTRIBUTORS DISCLOSE POSITIONS THEY HOLD IN STOCKS THEY DISCUSS, THOUGH POSITIONS MAY CHANGE. READERS OF "Cost of Freedom Recap" MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN INVESTMENT DECISIONS.

New Look at Potential Financial Fallout in Wake of Lochte Scandal

John Layfield: It's going to impact it. It's going to end the endorsements unfortunately. Look, he makes you mix famous people and notoriety and alcohol this was a stupid thing. This is going to cost him significantly because Ryan Lochte does not have a second act. You know, Michael Phelps had a problem with drinking and came back and competed magnificently in the Olympics. People have forgotten that. Andy Pettitte, Jason Giambi, issues with PEDs, they came back and played well. Compare that to Ben Johnson and Mark McGwire and Roger Clemens, never had a second act to get over the allegations and because of that, they lost all these endorsements going forward. The last thing remembered is what you know about the athletes especially in America. Unfortunately this is the last thing that will be remembered for Ryan Lochte and his endorsement future is very nil.

Chuck Rocha: I've been on "Bulls & Bears" off and on and we got a topic I'm an expert at. Nothing ever happens good coming out of a bar at 5 o'clock in the morning. I remember one time when I wrecked my papa's truck, thank God no cameras following me 24/7 I would have lost that Coors Lite and Copenhagen sponsorship. With these young men, just what my good friend just said, is that it may be over forever, but again, if you think about America and the second chances, if he owns up to it and goes I did something really stupid, you've done something really stupid, let's get over this and be really sincere about what he's saying, I think the boy could have a second chance and he's not a boy, he's 32 years old. By that time I had a 13-year-old kid. He needs to be talked to like a man.

Emily Jashinsky: So here, you know, Lochte is a risk that companies don't have to take. This does help him in one key area. Think about it, the man is already a reality star. This just makes him more attractive to the networks that are looking for the eager for that reality TV content. Give him a show, I will be watching.

Gary B. Smith: Exactly. But I tell you what, I think he's done. I think he's finished for a variety of reasons. John hit on one. First of all, he's no Michael Phelps, never was. He got a lot of medals in relays and was a great swimmer, but not a super star like Phelps, like Ledecky. That's number one. He will not come back. You saw it in the Olympics. His performance was average at best. Number two, he didn't just sully himself like a Tiger Woods, he sullied a country. People are a little less forgiving for that. Number three, he made the critical mistake, he didn't fall on his sword immediately. He issued an apology which was basically whatever. The same kind of thing he said to Billy Bush or one of those guys. So he didn't do that. It was more like hey, I'm sorry I got caught. This guy is toast. There are so many other athletes out there that sponsors can choose from that have sterling reputations and have never done anything wrong, at least not publicly. Lochte will never get another endorsement deal.

Jonas Max Ferris: My original reaction was like Gary's but I think not only will he get a second act, this is his act. Look, if you style your hair and shave your body and got 130 pairs of expensive shoes in your closet, every so often you have to kick in a gas bathroom door to show people you are tougher than you are. His reality show is being re-aired on esquire. He's benefiting. He's no Michael Phelps, Michael Phelps, absorbs all the sponsorship money. They make little money in the grand scheme of thing. If your sponsor is a mattress company you can lose a few sponsors if you get another reality show. Look at his long-term career projections they're not in the NBA, not a lot of paydays for swimmers.

Companies Donating Supplies, Money to Help Victims of Louisiana Flooding

Gary B. Smith: Absolutely. I guess it depends on how one would define good if you just look at the cash they donate in 2015, the top 20 Fortune 500 companies, less than 10 percent of the population, they alone donated $3.5 billion in cash. Walmart alone gave $300 million. I guess, like I said, it depends on what you define as good but to me that's darn good and that's giving and caring.

Emily Jashinsky: Yeah. You know this is interesting because I think we're in a time where anti-business, anti-corporate sentiments are growing on both sides really of the aisle and for a story like this; it might show people the corporate world in a different light. I think Americans really are study after study shows the most charitable people in the world and this is, you know, they're really showcases this in a great way. A moment to be proud of our country.

John Layfield: I think Americans overall are very generous. And that includes American businesses as well. Look at what they're calling the Cajun navy, the people in Louisiana that are helping their neighbors going out in their canoes and so many of them, see them all over the place. Look, I've run for the last six years health run, an at risk group of at risk charity organization that I founded and over 90 percent of our sponsorship comes from international business and high net worth. When I go around the country I visit a lot more at risk just like mine and about 90 percent also is international or big business or high net worth. But the demagoguery in politics it's a populist thing to bash these guys. They do an awful lot of good much more than the government. The government does not do charity very well.

Jonas Max Ferris: Look, I think it's all good and however you get to getting money to people is great, but let's not -- look, companies are doing this for a reason, because they get heat for often misses, but also negative behavior. This is branding. They would never use an uneconomic amount of money, somebody give $2 billion, because they shouldn't. It's a shareholder owned company. This is an amount that makes sense for their business and it's also companies that are trying to get ahead of future mill political attacks. Shell will give money and get heat for causing this on some level from some politician.

Chuck Rocha: You know, we talk about lots of different topics on shows but the one thing that brings us together is things like this no matter if you're a corporation or individual, that john was talking about, who has that john boat down there going home to home looking for his neighbors, the same as the businesses that have to work and be around the people and help other folks. At the end of the day that's what brings us and makes us different than every other country in the world we do this for our neighbor. We don't ask what their skin color is how much money they make. If they're in need we will be there whether they're a corporation and on the first on this show to hold corporations accountable from time to time but in this light we're all Americans no matter if you own that business work at that business or in that john boat. This is what makes America great.

Aetna Exiting Most Healthcare Exchanges After Losing $430M on ObamaCare Plans

Emily Jashinsky: Of course this was their end game. Let's transport ourselves back to 2010, a fun trip back to 2009, 2010, when the battle was raging and kicked off the tea party. We have to pass the bill to find out what's in it. 2016 Finding out what's in it and when president Obama doesn't need re-election last month he comes out supporting the public option and the three leading democrats in the country, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama supporting the public option. They take over the economy. If you like the DMV you will love the public option coming soon.

Chuck Rocha: I have ObamaCare, I have six employees and the more you spread the risk over a bigger pot of people the price should go down. I'm a Bernie Sanders fan and the more that we have people in the system, the cheaper it will be.

Jonas Max Ferris: It's uneconomic to provide health insurance to old people, people with previous conditions and poor people. If the government doesn't -- you can't force corporate America to do it. It's almost impossible to make that work and not have this happen to Aetna or whoever. The government should have provided that with Medicare and Medicaid and leave the private market to handle the profitable normal part of the business.

John Layfield: I think they wanted this but I don't think this was their plan all along. I think they had basically insurance reform and put more people on insurance rolls but no health care reform, no transparency or tort reform. This is a problem that needs to be fixed.

Gary B. Smith: Well, to Chuck's point ask one person paying health care premiums if they're happy with ObamaCare. Everyone everyone's is sky rocketing. I would be all for government run health care if we could find government run anything that people are happy with. What the VA hospital? Amtrak? Medicare? Medicaid? Going broke, bankrupting states. Yeah, government run stuff is perfect for other countries, not for us.

Stock Picks

Gary B. Smith: (TWTR) Returns 20 percent in a year

John Layfield: (QCOM) up 20 percent in 1 year

Jonas Max Ferris: (TWX) Gains 10 percent by Election Day