Amazon has partnered with professional skateboarder Andy Macdonald, marking the first time the online retailer has sponsored an athlete, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
Macdonald announced the partnership on his website site Wednesday. On Thursday, a photo of Macdonald announcing the partnership took up the entire area above the fold on Amazon’s Action Sports page.
Unlike other major sporting goods companies, Amazon has traditionally not sponsored athletes or a team. While the company does not break out sales of sporting goods, industry sources estimate more than $1 billion a year in sports related apparel, footwear and equipment are sold on Amazon.com by either itself or third-party retailers. The estimate also includes sales by Zappos.com and other Amaazon units.
