With the LeBron James endorsement deal saga now over, its time to get down to the serious business of signing up athletes before they garner the attention of adidas Sonny Vacarro.
Just when everyone was crying about Nike signing a 19-year-old basketball phenom to a blockbuster seven-year deal reportedly worth $90 million, The Swoosh went a step further and snagged a 13-year-old soccer player form Ghana to a deal that will pay him $1.0 to $1.5 million.
The Washington Post broke the story last week that Nike signed Freddy Adu, described as a “goal-scoring-prodigy”, to an endorsement deal. He was represented by SportsNet, LLC.
Adu has played for the U.S. U-17 team, after coming to the U.S. when he was eight years old. He became a U.S. citizen in February after his mother won an immigration lottery. He is expected to attend the Under-17 academy in Bradenton, FL.
Not to be outdone, Reebok reported shortly after losing the LeBron lottery that they had signed a three-year-old basketball “point scoring prodigy”. Mark Walker, who supposedly has a trademarked “two-handed, over-the-head jump shot”, is expected to have a new Reebok interactive campaign on BET.
Reebok is encouraging other parents to contact the company about their own “talented tot” at home.
>>> Sure hope these kids have better lawyers than Gary Coleman
