Image via Complex Original
When it comes to professional athletics in the United States, we as fans primarily follow football, basketball, baseball, hockey, golf, tennis and soccer. Outside of the NHL, a sport played on skates (and poorly marketed in my opinion), each sport has had players that shoe manufacturers have identified as worthy of a signature shoe or their own line of product. Walter Payton to Calvin Johnson, Michael Jordan to Kyrie Irving, Derek Jeter to Mike Trout, Arnold Palmer to Tiger Woods, Ivan Lendl to Roger Federer, David Beckham to Lionel Messi, these superstars carried a large part of the load for their sport within their brand.
Without question, the NFL is the most popular team sport in the United States. The difference between its players and every other sport we follow (again, outside of the NHL) is player visibility. These guys are so heavily armored — padded head to toe, helmets often with shields and intricate facemasks — that we really don’t know what these guys look like unless we check out the post-game press interviews. Plus, like baseball and soccer, their "work" shoes are often cleated, so going from the street to the field of play doesn’t set up for any kind of smooth transition, like it can in the NBA or in tennis.
Guys like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders had successful lines and marketing campaigns primarily geared around their versatility across both football and baseball. Even today, Nike still retros their product. Remember that guy RGIII? Remember that he has a signature shoe, but has he been of any influence within the culture? This is How Football Players Can Be More Influential in Sneaker Culture.
Use fashion to their advantage.
One of the reasons why NBA players and largely soccer players have had influence as of late has been their attention to style outside of the game. Anywhere these guys go, the camera is on. David Beckham branded himself early on with an impeccable attention to both formal wear and casual wear. He used his adidas deal well to incorporate the brand's Originals into his style. NBA players similarly use retro product to develop and maintain their style as well.
New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz has been a champion for this philosophy. With his work with GAP and Ronnie Fieg’s KITH, he has parlayed his fashion sense into his own lifestyle shoe, the Nike Air Trainer Cruz, which has started to grow a strong following amongst sneaker consumers. Cam Newton has made it an objective of his to dress impeccably before and after games by taking some fashion risks in his shoes and accessories. His Versace Barocco Zebra-print jeans on the way to San Francisco caused quite a stir, and got a lot of people talking… about Cam. Well done.
Choose their endoresements wisely.
Gaining product endorsements isn’t just a way to bulk up your earning portfolio, it’s also a way for the athlete to creatively brand him or herself. Michael Jordan was an expert at endorsing products that worked together in unison to support the Air Jordan brand that he and Nike cultivated. Not quite sure that MJ would have pitched for “Gold Bond” like Shaq did.
We’ve seen Aaron Rodgers do the “Discount Double Check” and Peyton Manning slinging pizzas for Papa John’s. To be a true player within the sneaker world, the NFL superstar needs to focus on products and brands which highlight appearance and public persona. In Jerry Maguire, Rod Tidwell’s wife, Marcee, may have said it best:
Now I don't know what you do for your five-percent, but this man, my husband has a whole plan, an image... we majored in marketing, Jerry, and when you put him in a “Waterbed Warehouse” commercial, excuse me, you are making him common. He is pure gold and you're giving him "Waterbed Warehouse" when he deserves the big four -- shoe, car, clothing-line, soft-drink. The four jewels of the celebrity endorsement dollar.
Because they’re behind all the armor, they’re already look common, the last thing they need is to be more commonplace. While guys like Rodgers and Manning are creating one type of image within their endorsement stable, a guy like Darrelle Revis created another with his endorsements. His Instagram was once heavily filled with fashion brands and footwear, including his own short lived signature shoes. He gained a great following and his sneaker remains one that people still pine for.
Try harder.
Some of this has to be up to the players themselves. It’s safe to say that today’s athletes grew up in the tail-end of the Jordan era and entirely in the Kobe era. Signature shoes and clothing lines mattered back in the day. So many wanted to “Be like Mike.” There has to be some level of responsibility and accountability within the player to recognize that level of status and try to attain it… even with no endorsements.
Odell Beckham Jr. has done a fantastic job of branding himself out of college with a distinct style. And I’m not even talking about his signature hair cut. Beckham tried, and after an incredible Offensive Rookie of the Year season (and maybe some words of advice from teammate Cruz), has secured great endorsements including Nike and Foot Locker.
Tell a story that people care about.
Once a great stable of endorsements is solidified, you need to have a great marketing team behind you to make sure each company can profit positively off of one another. In 2012 and 2013, LeBron James’ team brilliantly crafted ads using his Samsung and Nike deals and told a story about everyday LeBron and his relationship within the community and his family. Brilliant marketing, brilliant storytelling.
Let’s face it, though: There’s no LeBron James in the NFL, but that’s not to say there aren’t guys with that “it” factor who can bring the player out of the pads and into your home. Cruz again may be that guy as he’s got a full plate now since he’s added both modeling and acting to his resume.
Brands need to step it up, too.
There are a lot of well-known Sneakerheads in the NFL. Joe Haden and Marcus Gilchrist have been two of the top acknowledged by sneaker media over the last few years. Brands need to recognize the obvious inherent passion within the players and make them more visible. And I’m not just talking about the shoe companies. The ancillary brands which support the sneaker culture need to do so as well. Beats by Dre did an incredible job last year using players like Richard Sherman and Colin Kaepernick in their ads to take the helmet off the player and put them in a more human role using a product common to the consumer.
Taking an NFL player and putting him into a pair of PEs of whatever shoe is hot for the brand at the moment will not make them more influential. There needs to be a reason why we care about the player to relate back to the common consumer, much like Jordan Brand commemorating Charles Woodson's career with gold Air Jordan VIIs.
It's just tough.
When a large portion of your roster weighs over 300 pounds, it’s just flat out tough to look good in the clothing that the sneaker culture tends to wear with today’s silhouettes. I mean seriously, can any offensive linemen pull off wearing joggers with a pair of Flyknit Racers? The body style of today’s NFL athlete is entirely different than anyone in the NBA, MLB, soccer player, golfer, or tennis player. So the pool for those who can accurately represent what many of the fashion brands want to portray is a small sample.
Brands which service the sneaker culture will need to focus on the skill players as they are the demographic they design for. That’s not to mean any disrespect to the guys in the trenches. They are the guys who allow the skill players to rack up rushing and receiving yards and get the guys in the secondary interceptions. Yes, it’s unfortunate that we often only know the names of the guys who get all the sexy stats, but those are the guys that are most marketable and the guys brands want.
Players and their agents need to have positive discussion on how to reach the demographics that are important to them. Guys like Rodgers and Manning have reached the every-man demographic and their endorsement dollars show it, but there’s no reason why creative planning and branding can’t lead to a windfall of cash to players who once were part of the sneaker culture as consumers, and now can be the ones who influence it.
