Who thinks some WWC sponsors are kicking themselves for promoting Wagner in the ads instead of Wambach? If Wambach continues to play this way, and the USA wins, she will deserve to succeed Hamm as the face of women's soccer. What is really intriguing is that Wambach has the strength of character and outgoingness and readiness to take on a challenge (and the looks) to embrace that role eagerly -- unlike Hamm, who did it out of a sense of duty but rarely seemed to enjoy it.
Well, I think Wagner is being paid by Bud and adidas. The Wombat filmed a TV commercial the week before the FC playoffs. Supposedly, a nutritional something-or-other. Don't know if it's MetRX or PowerBar.
Yeah, Wagner is sponsored by Adidas, as are Lilly and Parlow and Mac - therefore them being featured in the ads. Now if Nike was the sponsor, we'd see Hamm and Wambach. I love that commercial with the Chinese National team, btw! Sun Wen looks incredibly cute, besides incredibly athletic.
Well the ads were made before the cup so they could not see the future though it would not have been too hard to see. And the Nike factor is key too. I'm sure that since she is having a great WC, we'll see more of her in commercials in the future. Great nickname too.. Wombat... BTW: The team call her and Parlow "The Biggins".
don't forget the youngest... Looks like Reddick could be in the running for new "posterchild" of US women's soccer. She just keeps stepping up to the challenge.
Not quite. Aly is in that Bud Light commercial, with Foudy....as is Abby. But you only get a tiny glimpse of Abby.
OK here goes I think Wagner will still be the future poster child and take over the Mia mantle for one simple reason, she's more physically attractive to the advertisers. Before you attack me for writing this, I don't necessarily agree with it, but look around at the athletes who get ad space or TV coverage, Mia, Heather Mitts, and of course Anna Kornikova. I don't think Brandi would have gotten much exposure (pardon the pun) if she hadn't removed her jersey. Wambach is a great player but lacks the cutness factor that Madison Ave desires. I don't think Reddick will get the attention either partially for the same reason and she is a defender. More likely O'Reilly when she breaks through.
Re: OK here goes This is so wrong on so many levels that it's kind of hard to know where to start ... Mia will be succeeded by the next top goal-scorer which will be Abby. But then again, I doubt there will ever be another "US soccer = name" again because Mia has been so unique. There hasn't been a "replacement" for Michael Jordan in the NBA for the same reason. None of the other names you mention have sold any "ad space" because they do not stand out in their sports. Cute faces many feature in photo spreads but they will not be able to carry advertising campaigns unless they have earned their right to be listened to, so to speak, on the playing field. "Hi, I'm Anna Kornikova. I'm a mediocre pro tennis player, but I'm very pretty. Here, buy this." Nope -- ain't gonna happen.
i'm just curious how much money these girls got pay ? and how much money Mia made from all kind of endorsements since 1999 ? does anybody know ?
Re: OK here goes i watched the latterman show before, where Brandi came on as a guest, she looked great
I think I remember reading somewhere that Mia makes a little over 1.2 million a year in endorsements. I'm not sure how much she gets from US Soccer and the WUSA. Probably not a lot. On the other girls, I'm not sure... About Abby and endorsements. Mia made sure Abby got with Nike. Well, Mia told her to get the best deal she could find. I'm pretty sure she even hooked Abby up with an agent so she would get the best deal. It turns out Nike gave Abby the best deal. If Abby keeps up this pace, and I don't see why she won't, I can imagine Nike will be more than happy to capitalize on it. As much as I hate to admit it, Mia won't be around forever, and Nike needs a new face of soccer. Milbrett isn't it. Abby will be.
Re: OK here goes I will not attack you; I will merely take issue. And I will do it head on based on the merits. Wambach is as attractive as Wagner. Now, maybe what you are saying is that advertisers are afraid to have a woman as big, strong and overpowering as Wambach featured in ads. But listen to her quotes. She's passionate, direct and right on point. And, in this World Cup, so far she has been the one to produce. Finally, I think she has the self-confidence to take on the role with relish. Last, I suspect (but concede we will probably never be able to prove) that Hamm is giving Wambach pointers and grooming her as heir apparent. The way Wambach is playing so far, she is showing she is a worthy heir.
Re: Re: OK here goes Much as I am a fan of Abby as a soccer player, I would disagree, but then tastes differ. But it is happening. The Williams sisters may have finally surpassed her, but for quite a long time Kornikova was making the most money off endorsements of any female tennis player. Looks do count for more than just about anything else - unfortunately.
I think we are looking at two different issues The first being who will soccer people consider to be the new face of US soccer. It could well be Wambach as it was for Akers for all those years especially before Mia took over. The second is, who will the advertisers want. I'm not saying Abby isn't attractive or not a good player but they will want someone more like Mia, someone with grace and speed and technical expertise and more feminine. So Wagner is a more likely choice. Especially as her star is rising especially after a few others retire. She will be a creative midfielder ie Beckham. Wambach game is about strength and power. Just my 2 cents
Don't count Aly out at all. Just because April doesn't know how to take advantage of her skills things can change. She has grace, skills, and a incredible knowlege of the game besides being attractive, intelligent, and apparently comfortable in front of the camera.
Re: I think we are looking at two different issues This may be provocative, but Wambach with two more great games may redefine "feminine." And if you watch the first goal against Sweden or the way Wambach flicks headers or controls chest balls and whirls to find teammates for lead passes, you will see that she has grace and speed and technical expertise as well. Hamm probably has more speed and more technical expertise, but as to technical expertise, remember that Wambach is only 23 with upward potential. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. First let's see who, if anyone, carries the USA to victory.
Advertisers want people who are both good at thier sport and attractive. Tennis is the best example, Kournakova doesn't win singles titles but makes a butt load of money in advertising, but do you see Henin-Hardenne in ads here in America? If you put pics of Wambach and Wagner next to each other it's obvious which one would be picked by advertisers. I think Abby is hot, but Wagner has more of a traditional look. She has the model type looks, the fantasy girl look. It's sad that this is a factor but it is.
I hate to say it and its very wrong but looks are the key to marketing. I remember a few years ago when Kristi Yamaguchi or Michelle Kwan won the gold. Both very cute young ladies. However i read that because they were not blonde and blue eyed american looking girls they would not make as much as some of the others that were competing that year. I am sure they made a decent living endorsing but they did not get the money like a Lipinski or a Bobek would have had they one that year. Thats was comming from someone in the ad industry. If Abby wins the golden boot or scores the winner in the big game, she will get endorsements but if Aly scores the winner, chances are she will get more because of her looks. Had Heather Mitts made the team and scored the goal,,,the sky would be the limit
Why is the idea of a single pretty poster child so important when marketing things in America? I'm no expert on what sells in America, but you will gain a lot of shallow "fans" who will disappear quickly once their poster child is no longer active by this tactic of worshipping one individual in a teamsport that has so much more to offer than one individual can ever sell. There are probably a huge amount of young girls in America who will quit watching soccer when Mia Hamm retires. They are not interested in the sport, but in Mia. How big a percentage of the total American soccerfamily that is, we don't know yet. It could be an idea to approach the whole thing from another angle when selling USWNT out to the public. Concentrate on the team as a whole or make 7 or 8 different players equally big "poster children" so it can appeal to a broader audience.
The marketing is about selling product, and in the case of endorsements, the product isn't the WNT. So I don't think the advertisers really care that they're making shallow "fans" as long as those "fans" spend more money.
Just to add to the Aly/Abby looks debate: We are all assuming that marketers can tell them apart. In ESPN The Magazine this month, they ran a little blurb on Aly Wagner. Guess whose picture illustrates it? Abby Wambach. Oops. I think the marketers just put their money on the wrong player. Wambach is the next huge star of USA women's soccer.
Contrast and Compare: Ally: http://www.ussoccer.com/bio/bio.sps?iBiographyID=1317 Abby: http://www.ussoccer.com/bio/bio.sps?iBiographyID=5911 No contest if you ask me.