Michael Vick: Return To The Top Of The Marketing World

What is this, 2003?

In a report published by Yahoo Sports, it said that Michael Vick has once again became the face of a company. No, it is not Nike (though I am sure they will come back to him), instead it is a sports equipment company called Unequal Technologies.

Vick wore their products when he was nursing the rib injury he sustained earlier in the 2010 season, and they have decided that he would be the perfect person to endorse their product.

I am not against this in any way because Mr. Vick has paid his debt to society for the atrocities that he committed earlier in the decade, but are we beginning to see a new stance on the Mike Vick saga? Have people began to care less about the acts of crime he went to prison for?

Has Michael Vick turned the page and is he now a role model for our kids?

I believe he has. Michael Vick went to Philly, rode the bench for a complete year without once complaining about his role. Yes, he knew he was on thin ice already, but this shows maturity on the part of Vick. 

When McNabb left to the Redskins, Kevin Kolb, not Michael Vick, was chosen to be the starter, and with good reason. The Eagles had already been grooming Kolb to be their starter since he was drafted in 2007. Vick stayed quiet and let his play do the talking for him.

When Kolb went down with injury in the beginning of the 2010 season, Vick was in. He never looked back, had a Pro Bowl year and earned over $ 3.5 million. 

To say that companies ran away from Vick would be an understatement. This is his first endorsement gig on a national scale, but are consumers going to buy in? If Vick becomes the next Tiger Woods and begins to endorse Gatorade, are we going to drink it?

I would say yes.

I am in no way condoning what Vick did, but sports fans care more about what happens on the field than outside it. Yes, we will have PETA representatives taking shots at companies that choose Vick as their representative, but I, as a sports fan, could not be happier for Vick.

The NFL is betting on Vick this weekend to attract viewers to its "All-Star" game. It is going to be a good measuring stick in regards to determining Vick's marketability.

So, is Michael Vick all the way back? Will he ever have all the endorsements he once had? I am a believer in the new Michael Vick, but will the rest of American buy in?