Athletes are prime targets for marketing rhetoric

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is highly prevalent in sports, mainly for treating musculoskeletal issues. 50-80% of athletes use alternative therapies compared to 40-40% of the general public.

Athletes often need effective recovery but prefer to invest in unproven and often potentially harmful interventions. For example, Michael Phelps, at the 2016 Rio Games, had visible circular bruises across his back and shoulders. These purple marks resulted from cupping, a Chinese medicine that involves covering sites of soreness with small glass suction cups.