About a week ago, Cam Newton signed his first endorsement contract of his career, when he accepted an offer from Under Armor. The deal is reportedly worth over $1million a year. Just a few weeks before that, Mike Vick signed his first to his first endorsement deal after being released from prison. These two deals got me thinking, and I have realized this; there is no exact science to endorsements.
Let's look at Cam Newton. He had an amazing season, which ended in him winning the Heisman Trophy and the National Championship. But it is no secret that he had issues that some say reflect poorly on his character. He is now entering the league (which has it's upcoming season in jeopardy because of the longstanding labor dispute) as a anomaly. Due to his massive athletic potential mixed with his unproven fundamentals, there is no consensus on whether he will be a star, or a bust.
Contrast that with a guy like, pre-violation, Reggie Bush. The consensus was that this guy was going to be a bonafide star and a fan favorite right away. So when Adidas gave him the biggest rookie endorsement deal to that point, it really wasn't a shock. Or Tim Tebow. He was America's wonder boy in college, did what Cam Newton did for three years, and had very comparable potential and skills. Yet he did not receive a substantial sporting goods endorsement deal.
Yet Cam Newton, with a rocky past, and questionable future, receives the biggest rookie deal ever. Now I am a Cam newton supporter all the way, but I just don't get it.
Then, Mike Vick. We all know his story by now. It looked like 2 years ago this guy would never get an NFL contract again, let alone endorsement contract. But after a great year on the field, he gets one, and is in line for even more.
Now neither of these two men are the most likable, due to their past mistakes (I won't even discuss the race issue). But here they are getting millions more dollars than I ever hope to have, to be the FACES of these two companies. The only thing that I can gather from this is: winning matters, period.
These two men have won and performed on the field, no question. Despite their past off the field issues, and questionable futures, they have recently played extraordinarily well. Are these endorsement contracts a symbol of the American "prisoner of the moment" attitude? I think so. But I think its more indicative of the fact that when you are dealing with sports business, winning trumps all.
I am happy for these two because I am a big fan I just don't understand the logic behind these two endorsement deals.
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