When it comes to endorsements, baseball picks winners
David Wright is on billboards, magazine covers, even an airplane. And why not? He’s young, good-looking and a superstar athlete in New York.
“MLB, for me personally,” Wright said, “they’ve done a tremendous job. They’ve welcomed me with open arms. It’s something I enjoy doing. I think it has something to do with being in New York and on a winning team.”
Ya think?
But while Wright and a select group of baseball peers — Derek Jeter comes to mind — are marketed like superstars, there is a growing segment of ballplayers who think the game could do a better job of promoting its stars.
“You see basketball players all the time — commercials, doing endorsements for all types of different companies,” said Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee. “You get outside Derek Jeter, not a lot of guys (in baseball) are doing that. Reason being, it’s easy to sell basketball shoes. What are we gonna sell? Gloves and cleats?
“So it’s kind of a double-edged sword, but I think we could market our stars a little better.”
Lee’s logic follows, but only to a certain point. NBA players are a natural to sell sneakers, but what about the NFL? You see its stars selling everything from credit cards to wall posters to sports beverages.
Peyton Manning’s list of endorsements could take up most of this page.
So why can’t baseball players holler CUT THAT MEAT?
Inherent characteristics of the game, say some.
“Baseball is so big, it’s so long, so big, there’s so many players,” said Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels. “The only marketable stars are the A-Rods and Jeters and Pujolses. Basketball, there’s not as many stars. And you can play that every day. All you need is a hoop and a ball. Football, everybody can play two-hand touch.
“Baseball, you need the space, the bases, the ball, the bat, gloves, and you need more than one ball because you’re going to lose it.”
There is a significant segment of baseball players who believe you have to be a member of an intangible club for MLB to turn its marketing power toward you.
Actually, Devil Rays outfielder Carl Crawford calls it “a circle” and says the sport does a good job marketing “the guys in that circle.”
“You gotta be on a winning team,” he says. “You gotta have a background of being a winner. You definitely have to have a marketable face, a cute face.”
Does Crawford think he has “a cute face?”
“Not for MLB,” he says. “I don’t think my face is one you’ll be seeing all the time.”
Actually, it very well could be. There are a lot of ballplayers who say the best way to endorsement money is through New York. Even the ones on the other side of that fence will admit as much.
Just ask Wright whether he’d be on airplanes if he played in Kansas City.
“Me?” he says. “Mmm, probably not.”
“MLB, for me personally,” Wright said, “they’ve done a tremendous job. They’ve welcomed me with open arms. It’s something I enjoy doing. I think it has something to do with being in New York and on a winning team.”
Ya think?
But while Wright and a select group of baseball peers — Derek Jeter comes to mind — are marketed like superstars, there is a growing segment of ballplayers who think the game could do a better job of promoting its stars.
“You see basketball players all the time — commercials, doing endorsements for all types of different companies,” said Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee. “You get outside Derek Jeter, not a lot of guys (in baseball) are doing that. Reason being, it’s easy to sell basketball shoes. What are we gonna sell? Gloves and cleats?
“So it’s kind of a double-edged sword, but I think we could market our stars a little better.”
Lee’s logic follows, but only to a certain point. NBA players are a natural to sell sneakers, but what about the NFL? You see its stars selling everything from credit cards to wall posters to sports beverages.
Peyton Manning’s list of endorsements could take up most of this page.
So why can’t baseball players holler CUT THAT MEAT?
Inherent characteristics of the game, say some.
“Baseball is so big, it’s so long, so big, there’s so many players,” said Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels. “The only marketable stars are the A-Rods and Jeters and Pujolses. Basketball, there’s not as many stars. And you can play that every day. All you need is a hoop and a ball. Football, everybody can play two-hand touch.
“Baseball, you need the space, the bases, the ball, the bat, gloves, and you need more than one ball because you’re going to lose it.”
There is a significant segment of baseball players who believe you have to be a member of an intangible club for MLB to turn its marketing power toward you.
Actually, Devil Rays outfielder Carl Crawford calls it “a circle” and says the sport does a good job marketing “the guys in that circle.”
“You gotta be on a winning team,” he says. “You gotta have a background of being a winner. You definitely have to have a marketable face, a cute face.”
Does Crawford think he has “a cute face?”
“Not for MLB,” he says. “I don’t think my face is one you’ll be seeing all the time.”
Actually, it very well could be. There are a lot of ballplayers who say the best way to endorsement money is through New York. Even the ones on the other side of that fence will admit as much.
Just ask Wright whether he’d be on airplanes if he played in Kansas City.
“Me?” he says. “Mmm, probably not.”
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