Exactly...awesome find. I've already shared it on my FB! Thanks, Helen.
-BadMan On Wed, May 5, 2010 at 5:38 PM, Jerry Belloit <[email protected]> wrote: > Great find Helen! > > > > Jerry > > > > *From:* [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] *On > Behalf Of *Helen Huntley > *Sent:* Tuesday, May 04, 2010 8:56 PM > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* [gatornews] The Making of Brand Tebow > > > The Making of Brand Tebow > > · *3*Comments > > · Say Something > »<http://www.fanhouse.com/2010/04/30/the-making-of-brand-tebow/#cmtForm> > > *4/30/2010 1:23 PM ET By Jon > Weinbach<http://www.fanhouse.com/staff/jon-weinbach/> > * > > Print <http://www.fanhouse.com/2010/04/30/the-making-of-brand-tebow/>*A*Text > Size > > Email > <http://www.fanhouse.com/2010/04/30/the-making-of-brand-tebow/>More<http://www.fanhouse.com/2010/04/30/the-making-of-brand-tebow/> > > · > > o *Jon Weinbach* > > o Sports Business Writer > > Even in an era when pro athletes have become one-word brands -- Tiger, > LeBron, Beckham -- few jocks have ever hit the marketplace quite like Tim > Tebow <http://nfl.fanhouse.com/players/tim-tebow/24000>. > > The 22-year-old quarterback, who won a Heisman Trophy and two national > championships at the University of Florida, has generated a stunning amount > of buzz since he was picked by the Denver > Broncos<http://nfl.fanhouse.com/team/denver-broncos> in > the first round of last week's NFL Draft. > > On NFL.com, sales of his jersey set a record for rookies, topping the mark > set last year by New York Jets<http://nfl.fanhouse.com/team/new-york-jets> > QB Mark Sanchez <http://nfl.fanhouse.com/players/mark-sanchez/9269>. The > Jacksonville > Jaguars <http://nfl.fanhouse.com/team/jacksonville-jaguars>, who had the > NFL's third-worst attendance last season, announced a "significant" uptick > in ticket sales for the team's season-opener against Denver -- even though > Tebow is unlikely to start (or play for that matter) for the > Broncos<http://nfl.fanhouse.com/team/denver-broncos>. > Over the last month, he's been one of the top 30 "trending topics" on > Wikipedia, and prior to the draft, he signed lucrative deals with Nike and > Electronic Arts, which will feature him on the cover of all versions of its > "NCAA Football '11" video game. > > While Tebow is hardly the first NFL rookie to ink a shoe contract, he is a > unique entity in today's sports business. Thanks to his record-setting > college career, his draft-day drama, and his religious activism, he is > already one of the most popular -- and polarizing -- athletes in America. > Among sports fans, his "Q Score" - a measurement of familiarity and positive > appeal -- is roughly the same as New England > Patriots<http://nfl.fanhouse.com/team/new-england-patriots> > star Tom Brady <http://nfl.fanhouse.com/players/tom-brady/5228> and St. > Louis Cardinals <http://mlb.fanhouse.com/team/stl-cardinals> slugger > Albert Pujols, according to Henry Schafer, executive vice-president of > Marketing Evaluations, Inc., which collects the data. "He's already left > such an impression on so many people, so his marketability is unusual for a > player of his age," says Tom Goedde, vice-president of marketing for EA > Sports. > > For the last few years, EA used several players to advertise the multiple > versions of its college football game -- one athlete for the Playstation 3 > edition, another for the Xbox, and so on. For the 2011 title, however, the > company is throwing all of its marketing weight behind Tebow, whose > relationship with EA dates back to high school, when he participated in an > All-Star camp sponsored by the company. "There's certainly something > different about him," adds Goedde. > > To be sure, few athletes can match Tebow's back story -- or his knack for > getting into the spotlight. He was born in the Phillippines, the son of > evangelical Christian missionaries. After the family moved to Florida, Tebow > was home-schooled by his mother all the way through high school. A change in > state law allowed him to play sports for schools in the local district, and > Tebow and his mother actually moved into an apartment, apart from the rest > of the family, so he could play for Nease High School in suburban > Jacksonville. He thrived on the field, was named Florida's "Mr. Football" as > a senior, and was coveted by several SEC schools. He also got his first > taste of national media exposure when ESPN featured him in a documentary > about top high school athletes. (The name of Tebow's segment: "The Chosen > One.") > > At Florida, Tebow enjoyed one of the greatest careers in college football > history. He was the first sophomore to win the Heisman, led the Gators to > the national championship as a junior, and ran for the most touchdowns in > Southeastern Conference history. He also made a habit of writing biblical > verses -- such as "John 3:16" --- on his eyeblack, which gave even wider > play to his religious beliefs. Earlier this year, the NCAA banned players > from writing any words, messages or symbol on eyeblack -- a decision many > college observers quickly dubbed "The Tebow Rule." > > During college, he also traveled extensively through Asia to visit ill > children and do volunteer work with his father, who founded an orphanage in > the Phillippines. In interviews, Tebow has often discussed his opposition to > pre-marital sex and abortions. He even refused to accept a spot on Playboy > Magazine's preseason All-America team. > > "Almost every other college kid would have jumped at the offer, but that's > not what he stands for," says Angel Gonzalez, a long-time friend of Tebow's > who now helps negotiate his marketing deals and run his charity. > > [image: Tim Tebow] > > > Tebow's activism came under fire earlier this year, when he and his mother > appeared in a Super Bowl <http://nfl.fanhouse.com/superbowl> pregame > commercial for Focus on the Family, a right-to-life organization based in > Colorado. (They were not paid for the spot, according to Gonzalez.) > > "I don't think there's been a football player who's come into the league > like him in a long time," says Schafer of Marketing Evaluations. In the wake > of the Tiger Woods scandal, "advertisers may still be wary of the > controversy about [Tebow's] stance on abortion - it could be a drawback or a > benefit, depending on the company." > > Tebow hired Jimmy Sexton, a well-known football agent, to handle his NFL > contract work, but his endorsement deals are being coordinated by his older > brother Robby and Gonzalez, a 29-year-old former banker whose family owns a > heavy-machinery export company in south Florida. Neither has any prior > experience in the sports industry, Nonetheless, they have already formed a > company, XV Enterprises LLC -- the name is a play on Tebow's No. 15 jersey > -- to handle the quarterback's marketing portfolio. > > Aside from the Nike and EA contracts, which Sexton negotiated, Tebow has a > memorabilia deal with Palm Beach Autographs and has appeared at a couple > events for Gatorade, according to Gonzalez. > > One product Tebow won't be endorsing: soda. "The kid won't touch a soft > drink, he's a health nut," says Gonzalez. "We're not looking to go out there > and land 50 deals and overexpose him at every gas station. We want to accept > deals that are in line with his core values." > > (Sexton, who also represents Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten and > Alabama head coach Nick Saban, did not return several calls for comment.) > > Denver's decision to draft Tebow surprised many observers, particularly > since the club recently acquired Brady Quinn, the former Notre Dame QB, and > incumbent starter Kyle Orton is still on the roster. But for Tebow, landing > in Colorado may have significant off-field benefits. The state is home to > several large conservative Christian organizations, including Promise > Keepers and Focus on the Family, and Tebow has already been invited to > "every church in the Rockies," according to Gonzalez. "We've received an > overwhelming response. Denver is like a satellite office of the Bible Belt, > " he says. > > Going forward, of course, the earning potential of Brand Tebow will be > determined by the quarterback's NFL performance, not his NCAA legacy. For > all the hullabaloo surrounding Tebow's early jersey sales, he is still > likely to be Denver's No. 3 quarterback at the start of training camp. > Likewise, there are still questions about his throwing motion and Tebow's > ability to perform in a more traditional, "pro-style" offense than the > all-shotgun scheme he ran at Florida. > > "He'll always be able to earn dollars because of what he accomplished in > college," says Steve Rosner, co-founder of 16W Marketing, who represented > former NFL QBs such as Drew Bledsoe, Steve Young and Troy Aikman. "But > Denver has pretty fickle fans -- he'll have to play well." > > *Read More:* Sports > Business<http://www.fanhouse.com/category/sports-business/> > Sports Business and > Media<http://www.fanhouse.com/category/sports-business-and-media/> > Albert+Pujols <http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Albert+Pujols/>, > Brady+Quinn<http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Brady+Quinn/> > , denver+broncos <http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/denver+broncos/>, > Jimmy+Sexton <http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Jimmy+Sexton/>, > Kyle+Orton<http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Kyle+Orton/> > , Tim+Tebow <http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/Tim+Tebow/>, > tom+brady<http://www.fanhouse.com/tag/tom+brady/> > > from fanhouse.com > > · *3* > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
