Sunday, January 27, 2008

It’s Not the ‘Roids, It’s Their Age

Are athletes named in the Mitchell Report going to lose endorsement dollars? Of course they are, but it’s because they are old!

A recent study by Paul Verna at eMarketer claims that baseball athletes named in the report will lose endorsement money. Sports Illustrated’s “Fortune 50” has three players named in the report: Roger Clemens (21), Barry Bonds (28), and Andy Pettit (41).

I disagree with Verna’s claim that these players will lose endorsement money because of the report. I believe they’ll lose endorsement money because 2/3 of them aren’t playing! Clemens isn’t coming back (again), Bonds is looking for a team while his federal trial looms, and Pettit has already said that this would be his last year – after nearly retiring this fall.

Unless your name is Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, or George Foreman – endorsement dollars drop when you are no longer playing your sport.

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