Running to New Opportunities
Liquid Death Sponsors Trainer. NIL allows LSU QB to Transistion Careers. Manchester United Returning to Glory.
On Today’s Agenda:
Colts Trainer Becomes Face of Water Brand
LSU QB Quits Football but Continues to Provide Brands with Value
Returning Manchester United to its Former Glory
The (Surprise) New Face of Hydration
Colts Trainer Becomes Face of Water Brand
By Hiral Patel
Every sports fan can recall an interview or a presser where a star thanks all of the people behind the scenes who support them - from their friends and family to every single team employee. Though it is rarely forgotten how important every member of the team is, it is not often that one of those crucial team players gets recognition. Recently, Liquid Death, an American canned water company set out to change that - with their first endorsement of a “Hydration Assistant”.
The brand set out to seek its first football endorsement - and looked to the NFL. One twist though. Instead of signing a roster player, a combine was held between 10 athletic trainers from college and pro football teams. With a spin on NFL combine drills, like the 40-yard water dash and the water case bench press, the Indianapolis Colts' Travis Poulson was named the winner.
With his win, Poulson became Liquid Death's first ever "pro football hydration assistant". The 1-year endorsement deal carries a value of $100 000. The brand pulled out all the stops, including having Kyle Brandt of the NFL network serve as the host of the combine. The content is an entertaining parody of the NFL combine, with a focus on the important roles played by trainers in keeping athletes hydrated.
In addition to the deal, Liquid Death has launched a pro model towel for Poulson, which is the brand's creative spin on athlete's shoe deals. Liquid Death has also signed the 9 other contestants to smaller endorsement deals.
This kind of outside-the-box (or can, in this case) thinking should be something that every sports marketer takes 5 minutes to analyze and appreciate. An unconventional beverage brand taking a brand new approach to choosing their endorsement demonstrates that there is always room for innovation in the sports marketing space. Liquid Death has always looked to be bold and different with their marketing, and their refreshing take on football marketing is nothing short of a touchdown. Be sure to keep an eye on who's giving your favourite NFL star his water bottle this season - you might just be witnessing greatness.
The Power of Athlete Marketing Through NIL
LSU QB Quits Football but Continues to Provide Brands with Value
By Caleb Gilligan
The NCAA’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals keep getting crazier and crazier as we approach the start of this year’s NCAA seasons. If you haven’t been following, the NCAA updated its regulations regarding athlete sponsorships to allow current student-athletes to earn income from their brand image. This means college athletes can sign sponsorship agreements, star in commercials and advertisements, promote brands on their social media pages, and much more. Before this update, NCAA athletes were prohibited from signing sponsorship agreements as players were not allowed to be paid while playing college sports. Although most athletes received partial or full-ride scholarships and bursaries, the college sports industry has grown significantly and the athletes started to demand their fair share. In 2021, the NCAA brought in over $1.1 billion in revenue, mainly through its TV deals and media rights. Last summer, the NCAA finally agreed to allow players to earn money while playing college sports, but the money must be made through their name, image, and likeness off the field, not their athletic performances on the field.
Although this sounds like an even ground between the NCAA and its students, one athlete has found a loophole in the regulations. Myles Brennan appeared in twenty games and started three (1-2) for the LSU Tigers since arriving in 2017. Brennan, who backed up Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow in LSU’s 2020 National Championship victory, was set to be the starting quarterback for the Tigers in 2020, but unfortunately tore his abdomen in his third game and missed the rest of the season. He was once again slated to contend for the starting position in 2021 but broke his arm while boarding a boat for a fishing trip before training camp and missed the entire season. Brennan was unhappy being a second or third-string quarterback for the Tigers in the upcoming season so he decided to finish his degree in sports administration from LSU and call it quits. He retired earlier this week.
Although a promising athlete ended their career early apparently due to injuries, the headlines are centered around the NIL deals that Brennan signed in 2021. Brennan signed a car deal with a Ford dealership and agreed to endorsements from brands such as Smoothie King, GameCoin, and Smalls Sliders, all before he injured his arm and missed the entire season. Due to the NCAA NIL regulations, each endorsement must be centered around the athlete’s brand image. The NCAA strictly forbids any performance-related incentive or benchmark. Unfortunately, this goes as far as not including a minimum number of appearances. Each company received its endorsements and Brennan received his earnings. Brennan completed all of his endorsements in 2021 and was clear of any contractual obligations. In fact, he could have retired last season after his injury and the situation would have remained the same.
This situation may force companies looking to sign athletes to NIL agreements to be more cautious in their approach as there is not a lot of protection for brands in the event of injuries or retirements, such as Brennan's. Although the NIL hype train is still full-steam ahead, look for more athletes to cash out early once their sporting prowess and motivation decrease.
Robin Hood of the EPL
Returning Manchester United to its Former Glory
By AJ Hewish
It has been a truly disappointing season so far for Manchester United and Manchester United fans. Not only has this season been a nightmare, losing both games of the first season, placing at the bottom of the Premier League table for the first time since the 1930s.
Ever since the departure of Man Utd’s greatest ever manager Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, the Man Utd ownership has been lackluster ineffective signings, financial investment, and overall performance, failing to win the league trophy since that 2013 season, despite having won the league 20 times, more than any other team in the league.
Why is this happening? Well, many people have blamed the managers such as Jose Mourinho, David Moyes, and even Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, in addition to the underachieving players at the club who failed to live up to united standards including Paul Pogba, Angel Di Maria, Romelu Lukaku, and Memphis Depay.
The Glazer family who owns Manchester United appear to always invest their funds in buying ridiculously over-priced players from around the world. Many believe the only reason they do so is to boost their marketing efforts. If you’ve read our articles, last year we analyzed Manchester United’s social media marketing efforts when announcing Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to the club.
But now it's the end of the line for the Glazer family, with Manchester United fans set to protest their upcoming match against Liverpool. Additionally, it now appears that Britain’s richest man Jim Ratcliffe is interested in a full takeover of Manchester United ownership.
Sources close to Ratcliffe said the billionaire is interested and wants to help rebuild the team.
Well, it’s about damn time.
With this potential new ownership takeover, it could spark a new era for Manchester United. With better ownership of Man Utd, the whole business and marketing side will forever change. Currently, many fans refuse to buy new jerseys, subscribe to MU TV, or even attend games, as it just puts money into the hands of the Glazer family.
It could be the start of a new dynasty for Manchester United. With money being reinvested into the club, into better players, support for the manager, and actual success, it can finally be the return of the old Manchester United
