First of all just because something has been happening for a long time doesn't make it any more right. And it also doesn't mean that it's not worth bringing up from time to time to remind people who may not be as aware of it.
Secondly, and more importantly, yes these companies are obviously intentionally trying to mislead millions of people. I don't see how you could possibly argue any differently. They wouldn't bother doing it if it weren't a successful and profitable strategy. If you show your average tennis fan that photo of Safin and ask them, "what kind of racket is Safin using here?," I guarantee you that at least 9 out of 10 of them would answer, "Dunlop." This obviously goes a long way in improving Dunlop's image and bottom line.
I'm all for supplying athletes with the best gear, but I just think it's sleazy to trick people into believing they can buy the same thing. I'm sorry, but this is obviously misleading:
http://www.head.com/tennis/products/racquets/tour-extreme/?region=us
I know that this is just marketing as usual, and this is how things work in the cold cruel world, and that's right, but to say that it isn't misleading, or as I prefer to call it, lying, is simply incorrect.
