Latrell Sprewell wore a "different shade of sunglasses
to practice on Thursday, switching his yellow tint to blue,
saying he hoped it would spur an eyewear company to hire him
as an endorser" (Adrian Wojnarowski, Bergen RECORD, 6/18).
BUT DOES THE AND 1 SPOT WORK? Miami-based Crispin
Porter & Bogusky's Jerry Della Femina, the "ad man" behind
Latrell Sprewell's AND 1 spot, on Sprewell: "He gives the
most reasonable of interviews. I'm almost convinced he's
been coached, that there's a sinister P.R. person behind
this who's told him, 'Never raise your voice.' And he's
good." In N.Y., Philip Weiss writes that for "many young
people, blacks especially," the ad, which cost about $80,000
to produce, is "about rebirth, creativity, colorblindness
and hard work" (N.Y. OBSERVER, 6/21 issue). A WALL STREET
JOURNAL editorial claims that Sprewell is "lucky to be in a
position where his basketball ability compensates for his
apparent lack of social skills." The editorial, addressing
Sprewell and AND 1 CEO Seth Berger: "It requires no special
genius to figure out what you can sell teenage boys -- or
the spin that absolves you from any responsibility. But
that doesn't mean the rest of us have to buy it" (WALL ST.
JOURNAL, 6/18). In DC, Michael Wilbon: "I'm getting a little
tired of Sprewell, the morality play. He's neither the
singular hero of the Knicks' season nor the most villainous
figure in sports. He's neither a nightmare nor the American
dream" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/18). In UT, Doug Robinson called
Sprewell the "latest of America's anti-heroes." Robinson:
"Americans are suckers; they fall for the villains every
time, aided by the media" (DESERET NEWS, 6/17).