By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles’ sponsors are standing
by their team. That doesn’t mean anyone is ready to put extra
money in Michael Vick’s pockets.
The Eagles had prepared for a backlash after signing the
convicted dogfighting ringleader last week. But while Vick is
disgraced in the court of public opinion – the one that drives
lucrative endorsement deals – his addition has not jeopardized
the team’s corporate support.
None of the more than four dozen Eagles sponsors had pulled out
as of Wednesday, said Marlyse Fant, Eagles vice president of
sales and service.
The Eagles heard from about 15 to 20 sponsors on Friday, a day
after Vick signed, but most simply wished they had been given
advance notice to pass on to their customers.
“Our clients have been in close contact with us to stay up to
date on information coming from the team, and most have noticed
a significant reduction in their own volume of customer
inquiries since Friday,” she said on Wednesday.
The Eagles took a proactive approach, sending a letter to their
top customers last week asking them to have faith that the team
was not acting recklessly.
“We appreciate the complexity this creates for some partners and
premium clients and ask that you join us in our support and
optimism for Michael as he commits himself to showing
Philadelphia and the country he is a changed human being,” team
president Joe Banner said in the letter.
Reaction from Eagles sponsors has varied. Radio rights holder
94-WYSP said it has had “little to no reaction” from the
station’s sponsors. PepsiCo Inc. said in a statement that Vick’s
illegal activities were “cruel and degrading” but backed the
team.
“As sponsors of the NFL, we have the utmost confidence that the
senior leadership at the NFL will continue to appropriately
address this issue,” Pepsi said.
Sponsors understood the move from a football standpoint.
They do not hold the same view of Vick. The brutal nature of his
crimes – which included electrocuting, drowning and hanging dogs
that underperformed in fights – are not going to fade quickly
from the public’s memory.
“He’s too toxic for most companies to even consider taking a
chance on him,” said David Carter, who specializes in sports
business and marketing as executive director of the USC Sports
Business Institute.
Once a $130 million player, Vick was a corporate America
favorite as the star quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. His
image was used to market everything from sneakers to sports
drinks, usually aimed at the coveted 18 to 34 male demographic.
The Falcons paid Vick $23 million in 2005 and Forbes estimated
his total compensation that year at $37.5 million with
endorsements.
Only 26 and at the pinnacle of his career, Vick’s life and
marketability imploded amid the graphic details of a dogfighting
operation he helped bankroll and participated in.
One of his most lucrative deals had been with Nike, which signed
him as a rookie in 2001 but terminated his contract after he
pleaded guilty in federal court in August 2007, ultimately
serving 18 months in prison.
Nike offered only a terse comment on Vick this week. “Michael
Vick does not have a contractual relationship with Nike. We will
have no further comments at this time,” the company said through
spokesman Derek Kent.
Given the cruelty inherent in dogfighting, and the general
public’s emotional attachment to pets, endorsements for Vick are
almost unimaginable at this point.
“When it comes to athletes’ behavior, the fans have very short
memories or don’t seem to care,” Carter said. “This one might
prove to be different. It might be forgive and remember instead
of forgive and forget, and that’s a very big distinction.”
Vick isn’t being completely ignored, simply because he’s back in
the NFL. He was on the cover of the Madden NFL 2004 video game
and was not included this year only because it was completed
before NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell conditionally lifted
Vick’s suspension.
EA Sports made Vick available as part of a roster update on
Wednesday.
“We’re not judge and jury,” EA Tiburon spokesman Rob Semsey
said. “If he’s approved by the NFL to come back and be signed by
a team, he’s just like any other player. We make sure our game
is as authentic as possible. Adding Vick was a no-brainer.”
Vick’s replica Eagles jersey, which retails for $79.99, was the
top seller on NFLShop.com as of Wednesday. Jersey maker Reebok
did not return calls for comment.
But Dick’s Sporting Goods, a Pennsylvania-based company, said
Wednesday it is not currently selling Vick’s jersey in any of
its 300-plus stores.
“It is strictly a business decision, not at all a political
statement of any kind. We are only in the business of meeting
the needs of our customers,” Dick’s chief marketing officer Jeff
Hennion said. “I personally have not heard any retailers with
stores in the Philadelphia area talking up the demand for the
jersey.”
It’s not inconceivable that Vick could one day return as a
pitchman, but Carter said Vick first needs to rehabilitate his
image. He must follow through on promises to get involved in
animal rights’ work and the public must believe he is genuine.
“It’s going to be a nontraditional type company, one that
doesn’t mind the controversy,” Carter said. “They would enjoy
the notoriety and buzz created by signing him. You might see an
upstart, maybe an apparel manufacturer with a real edge. But
edgy and animal cruelty don’t go together. It’s going to have be
one whose targeted consumers are more interested in his athletic
appeal than his overall body of work.”
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