2007_06_01_archive

The Fallout Of Mike Vick's Dogfighting Investigation Begins

As a very marketable athlete, one can make inherently more money from

endorsements than from a salary paid by a team. Plus, those

endorsements can continue even after your playing days are done.

Losing endorsements not only hurt at that moment in time, but often

other companies will follow the decision of the first and drop the

athlete in question as well.

That seems to be where Michael Vick is at at this point in time.

AirTran, which had employed Vick as a pitchman since 2004, decided not

to renew his contract when it expired on May 8. AirTran spokesman Tad

Hutcheson released this statement about the matter:

"Michael's contract expired May 8, and we advised him then that we

would not renew it."

Since 2004, Vick had appeared on five billboards, and some radio

commercials. His contract had been renewed twice since it was first

signed.

I wasn't able to track down exactly how much his AirTran deal was

worth, but it had to have been several million. However, the most

costly effect of this decision by AirTran is that Vick's other

endorsers could sever their ties with him as well.

Here's a list of some of the other companies he has endorsement deals

with:

Nike

EA Sports

Coca-Cola

Powerade

Kraft

Rawlings

Hasbro

It will be interesting to see how many of those companies also drop

Vick because of his involvement with this dog-fighting investigation.

At some point I would imagine that consumers of these products might

threaten to boycott unless Vick is removed as a pitchman. It seems

that right now may be just the start of a snowball effect involving

Vick losing endorsement deals.

--More--

Posted by BDoc at 2:24 PM 0 comments Links to this post

Labels: airtran, dog fighting, Endorsements, Football, michael vick

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere - Cheater's Edition

Since it's Friday, and the end of the workweek for most people, we

think that you should be provided with a post that takes the edge off

so to speak. Because it's going to be random and hopefully humorous,

that means that it won't always be sports related. It will also pop up

at any time on Friday.

This Friday's edition features footage from that show "Cheater's". You

know, the one with the smug host that you want to see get beatdown

everytime it's on. Sure, seeing him get stabbed with a little knife on

the boat episode gave you a little satisfaction, but you're still

yearning for more. Well, here it is. You have to wait until about the

2 minute mark, but it ends up being pretty good. Though, I still wish

the host would have taken the brunt of the attack. He's a douchebox.

Happy Friday!

--More--

Posted by BDoc at 2:07 PM 0 comments Links to this post

Labels: cheaters, douchebox, it's 5 o'clock somewhere, paintball

Michael Vick, Getting Cleaned Up For His Court Date

As the Atlanta Falcons started their offseason workouts, something was

noticeably different. No, not Bobby Petrino as head coach, or Joe Horn

in a Falcons jersey. It was Michael Vick without braids. You may

remember that back in 2004 Vick said he wasn't going to cut his hair

until he won a Super Bowl.

"I'm growing my hair out it, and I'm not going to cut it until we

win a Super Bowl," Vick said. "I was going to let my hair grow last

season, but I cut it three weeks before I got hurt. I'm really

superstitious, so I'm going to let it grow. As bad as I want it off

my head, and as hot as I am, I won't cut it off until I win a Super

Bowl. I will win a Super Bowl -- someday."

Well, the Super Bowl win obviously hasn't panned out yet, but a few

months of turmoil sure have.

It started with Vick giving a fan in Atlanta the one finger salute

following a loss to the Saints. Then, he was busted at Miami

International Airport with a fake water bottle that had a secret

compartment. Early reports indicated that it contained marijuana

residue. Most recently, he's been implicated in a dog-fighting

operation that took place on a property he owned in Virginia.

That last incident is the most severe of the three, and if Vick is

proven to truly be a "heavyweight" in the dog-fighting world he'll be

facing serious jailtime.

However, that new haircut should help him look a bit more presentable

should he have to face a judge in the next few weeks. Or maybe he

believes that he's sort of an anti-Samson, and that cutting off his

hair will actually help him not engage in stupid behavior. Either way,

I'm sure the inmates at Georgia State Prison don't care whether he has