Chapter: Coffee and Cameras

Chapter: Coffee and Cameras

It was a bright morning when Anita, medalist, athlete leader, and basketball star, was photographed outside Insomnia Coffee at Stephen’s Green. The campaign hashtag was buzzing. Her smile was wide, her posture proud. Passersby dropped coins into the collection bucket. Baristas posed beside her. The image was perfect — clean, inspirational, hopeful.

But the reality behind the photo was far from effortless.

Anita had been up since dawn, catching a crowded bus into the city. There was no breakfast, no stipend, and no structured break. She would spend hours standing outside the café, fulfilling the “ask” — to be visible, to be cheerful, to represent. Her presence helped make the partnership look effortless and positive, as if the system around her were working smoothly.

But it wasn’t.

Anita, like many athletes, bore the cost of representation. Financially and physically. Club fees were rising. Support was thinning. Sometimes, appearances like this meant skipping meals or turning down paid work. The public smiled, took leaflets, and moved on. Few noticed that the stars of these campaigns often went home hungry.

Insomnia Coffee Company did what many sponsors do — offered a platform, a storefront, and branding. But the burden of visibility fell, once again, on the shoulders of the very people the campaign claimed to help.

There was no travel reimbursement. No meal voucher. Not even a thank-you card.

What Anita gave that day was real. But so was what was taken.

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