I haven't seen a link anywhere yet. This is from CNNSI. Here's a link. Quote: "By then [after 2 years], he'll have charmed enough chat-show hosts and seduced enough sponsors and turned down enough book deals to captivate some serious attention and raise significantly the stature of MLS." I don't get this. There's no (mens) World Cup next summer last time I checked. Why is Donovan going to get any of this attention? Because he plays for a soccer team the vast majority of American sports fans have never heard of that gets miniscule ratings? People aren't going to be seeing nightly MLS highlights or reading anything substantial about the league unless they search out such things. Why would anyone think he's going to be getting such attention? Quote: "By then international matches and the Olympics will have inundated the American public with his exploits and those of an emerging class of confident, talented, determined players led by a shrewd, demanding coach who has won everywhere he's been." Maybe he'll get some coverage during the Olympics, but it will be mixed in with a massive amount of general Olympic coverage. As far as other international matches, WC qualifiers will hopefully generate some interest but otherwise i think the profile of our last 2 friendlies is going to be more the norm than the exception. I really don't think anyone is going to be inundated with Donovan over the next 2 years and I fail to understand why anyone would think otherwise.
Good catch, Justin. Since we don't have a Links and Articles subforum anymore, this belongs in Business and Media proper.
Your not looking at this through the proper prism-the relative measure of how sports are covered today-especailly "minor sports." I'm not about to post it again, but if you look at media coverage of soccer since 1990 in the US, it's been a consistent, upward graph. If you look at Donavan's "potential" achivements (and that is the key word) they fit right into this continued pattern, almost to the point of being the next logical step. If Donovan grows as Mahoney suggests, it is by no means unrealistic that in the next two years, "he'll have charmed enough chat-show hosts and seduced enough sponsors and turned down enough book deals to captivate some serious attention and raise significantly the stature of MLS" in the manner/size of celebrity of say a Lance Armstrong, Marion Jones, or Mia Hamm in their sports. This is how I think you have to measure his celebrity and its effect-not by NFL or MLB standards. IMO he could very well do that and then go off to Europe as Mahoney thinks.
Landon looks a lot like the young Monty Clift -- with abs. This helps; the media dotes on beautiful people who are standouts in whatever field they're in, be it poetry or pornography. The media needs to feed its public. Landon needs to work on that chirpy voice, though. Agoos has a good voice -- manly, but soft grained --- maybe he could coach him. Get Landon a voice to go with his looks and glamour gal friend, and US soccer and MLS look a whole lot better to the average American. Landon Donovan is a great name -- sonorous, easy to pronounce, romantic. Almost as good as Marlon Brando.
I guess one of the pros/cons of having a publicist is that they want to tell you who to date... I must say, the ESPYs is quite a first date.
I hope you guys are right. I just find it hard to believe he's going to get the same press in a non-WC year as he did in 2002. Obviously there are non-soccer variables that could become a factor. He could marry one of the Bush girls for example. As for this current chick, I'm pretty out of the loop regarding pop culture these days, but is this person actually that famous? I've never heard of her.
I have to agree with Justin on this one. Of the total press soccer gets he's going to get a large percentage, but his impact on raising the profile of the league is going to be minimal, imo.
I think it's pretty obvious he won't get the same amount of coverage as 2002. That basically goes without saying. But there are some big MNT events this year, especially considering there's no WC qualification or WC. If SUM acquires the rights to the Gold Cup, it could get a lot more attention, and with potentially some big games v. Brazil and/or Mexico in this event, it will draw some mainsteam press. The Confederations Cup is a pretty big event in and of itself, and if we end up in a game v. France or Argentina, it'll get some hype as well. I think interest in the MNT has definitely increased since the WC '02, and Donovan is right in the middle of it. He's a face many casual fans will/can recognize. This is only to the benefit of the sport in the U.S., and by extension, MLS. Still, he's not going to "break through" into mainstream sports consciousness a la whoever, but he will help in significant ways. It's all about baby steps, and the more baby steps the merrier. Or that's the plan anyway.
"Let's set aside the marketing and iconic appeal of Landon Donovan. As important as they are, his development into a great player is crucial and it can't be done if he stays in MLS indefinitely....By then, Donovan should be "thisclose" to being the greatest American player ever. But he won't get there in America." Put it aside? What magazine do you write for? And ho many times in the past 2.5 years have you put LD on the cover???? How many times have Brad Friedel and Claudio Reyna been on the cover in that same time?
It's going to be interesting to see how big of a deal the Confederations Cup turns into. Right now I can't see it being a very big deal. Same with the Gold Cup. The World Cup has clearly established itself as a major event on the US sports calendar, but I'm not sure that translates to non-WC national team matches. With little or no promotion this summers events will probably get miniscule ratings and therefore very little coverage. I think that will certainly be the case with the Gold Cup, maybe not the Confederation Cup. We'll see. Hopefully I'm wrong. Yeah, but based on this article I'd say Mahoney is anticipating things bigger than baby steps, and sooner rather than later. Hopefully he's right and I'm wrong, but in the short term I'm not so optimistic.