Was George Foreman a Better Pitchman Than Boxer?

The passing of George Foreman led to tributes from not only the sports sphere but also culinary worlds, calling out his role in making the eponymous George Foreman Grill a kitchen mainstay.

“His mixture of broad-shouldered authority and fatherly charm made him one of the most successful pitchmen of the 20th century,” proclaimed Robert Klara, senior editor at Adweek.

Many of the remembrances chronicled Foreman’s transformation from a boxer to infomercial star. The change came after a near-death experience led him to become a Christian and preacher following his initial retirement from boxing in 1977.

Foreman returned to the ring in 1987 to raise money for a youth center he founded in Texas, and began showcasing his newfound bubbly persona to the world. He reclaimed his heavyweight title in 1994 at the age of 45.

“The old George Foreman smoked, drank, chewed and swore,” wrote famed Los Angeles Times sportswriter Jim Murray in 1995. “The George Foreman we all know today is a Santa Claus in boxing trunks.”

In 1994, he became an entrepreneur after vowing to make money on his own brand after becoming frustrated with the limited income potential as a spokesperson for Doritos, Meineke, and others. Investing his own money, he signed a profit-sharing deal with Salton, the developer of what became the George Foreman grill, that saw 45 percent of profits go to Foreman.

With his popularity also growing with appearances on talk shows, Foreman started appearing in 30-minute infomercials that initially promoted his pugilistic past, but eventually played up his family roots and infectious enthusiasm as Salton realized the grill’s likely buyers were women.

John DeVore wrote in Rolling Stone, “Foreman’s late-night infomercials were hypnotic, like so many of that time — cheerful pitchmen and women selling kitchen gadgets that made life easier or food healthier. The American dream is buying a set of steak knives on an installment plan at three in the morning. And Foreman was a natural at the job.”

Since its introduction, over 100 million George Foreman grills have been sold, with the item on view at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Foreman would end up earning significantly more money selling grills than boxing.

The New York Times and Tasting Table noted that the other factors also propelled the grill’s popularity, including the promise of fast and smokeless indoor grilling. The ’90s witnessed increased interest in cooking — with the Food Network debuting in 1993 and food blogging taking off, as well as a heightened health consciousness that included calls for low-fat diets from Martha Stewart and Richard Simmons. The grill was also affordable and compact — making it ideal for dorm rooms and studio apartments — and could dish up various meals, including vegetarian burgers.

However, Foreman’s dynamic personality was seen by many as critical to the grill’s success. Kim Severson, food correspondent for the New York Times, wrote, “Its runaway success owed as much to its pitchman: a grinning former heavyweight champion of the world, dressed in an apron and a necktie. The infomercial was the perfect vehicle for Mr. Foreman, who mixed a preacher’s charisma and unabashed need to earn money with international fame to create a hit.”