The blows just keep coming for the World’s recreational marijuana users — first California’s highly anticipated Proposition 19 (which would have legalized the sale & possession of weed within the State) fails to pass, and now there’s a note from Forbes sports business blog that World Series superstar and pitching wunderkind Tim Lincecum could potentially be losing out in millions in endorsement deals, thanks to a misdemeanor possession charge he picked up last year in the state of Washington.
On a team that won a championship without a lot of traditional star power, the undersized kid with the overpowered arm and the Wiley Wiggins haircut is the most marketable face in the clubhouse, and if his rap sheet were clean he could expect to be on every Wheaties box and Gatorade bottle in the Pacific time zone. Unfortunately, since all the vestigial effects of Nancy Reagan’s brainwashing have yet to remove themselves from the American consciousness, Lincecum is somehow less marketable for engaging in an activity enjoyed by millions of working adults from coast to coast.
Gauging corporate reaction to endorser scandal is tricky business. The more severe the scandal and the more recent the scandal, the more damning the impact on an athletes’ endorsement potential….Marijuana possession and consumption is certainly deemed less severe by the public than acts like adultery or aggressive behavior towards women. But when companies with high-profile endorsers target children with their products, it is understandable why they run the other direction when faced with scandal.
Mr. Lincecum is sill probably looking at millions in endorsements, so it’s hard to feel too bad for him, but it’s unfortunate one minor arrest has turned an otherwise likable kid into some sort of shady criminal figure, too nefarious in nature to pitch Coca-Cola or deodorant or any other number of forgettable wares our sports heroes are asked to pretend they use. And why haven’t Doritos or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups stepped up to the plate yet? Surely in a country with as many diverse interests as America, there’s an audience for everyone (well, except you, Vin Diesel).
Personally I think advertisers just to need to get a little creative – how about a mash-up with Lincecum and everyone’s favorite television narc, Dallas NBC-5′s Newy Scruggs? Those two fellas and any number of delicious snack product is a match made in munchie Heaven.
In the meantime, Lincecum will have to settle for the being the best pitcher in baseball at age 26 and never having to buy a drink in San Francisco for the rest of his life.
On second thought, who gives a damn about endorsements?
No comments:
Post a Comment