Nike is "rushing into production" its Inner Active line
of sports bra and "lining up promotional appearances" for
U.S. women's soccer team D Brandi Chastain, according to Ann
Gerhart of the WASHINGTON POST. While Chastain is "already
under contract" with Nike for a "sum estimated to be in the
mid-five figures," her agent John Courtright "hopes he can
negotiate a new contract." Courtright, on Chastain taking
her shirt off to reveal a Nike sports bra after Saturday's
Women's World Cup Final: "Saturday's moment has kind of put
her on a different level." But "sports agents and marketing
experts" said that Chastain is "unlikely to reap a cash
bonanza." Agent Leonard Armato: "The singular act [of her
taking off her shirt] is not enough to do it. I wouldn't
think she has the base or the engine. Building a brand out
of an athlete requires regular, systematic ongoing
exposure." But Gerhart writes that Chastain and Courtright
are "sifting through" TV and endorsement offers that "have
poured in" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/14). In N.Y., Gersh Kuntzman,
on Chastain's act: "The sports world was abuzz last night
with talk that one of the greatest moments in women's sports
history was just a marketing ploy." But Chastain said there
"was no intent to show [the Nike bra] off. I didn't even
know which bra I was wearing." Sportscorp President Marc
Ganis: "Intentional or not, it was one of the smartest moves
an athlete has made since Michael Jordan first signed with
Nike. ... She has elevated her visibility. She'd be a great
spokeswoman. You can play xylophone on her midsection, but
you wouldn't have known it if she hadn't taken of her shirt"
(N.Y. POST, 7/14). On "Inside Edition," Stacey Sweet said
that Chastain "may have become the newest superstar in the
Nike stable. ... Because Brandi just did it, the display
may translate into millions in Nike sales and piles of cash
for Brandi, who wasn't even thinking of endorsements when
she removed her shirt" ("Inside Edition," 7/13).
MEDIA REAX TO THE SHOT OF BRANDI: CNBC's Jane Wells:
"It's hard to figure out which fans remember more -- the
goal or the bra. Or which makes a bigger statement about
women in the '90s." CNBC's Geraldo Rivera interviewed Real
Sports magazine Founder Amy Love, who said, "The fact that
mainstream media today is really focusing on the bra episode
to me is just a small point in time in which there is maybe
a recognition ... that in fact women who are athletes can be
beautiful" ("Upfront Tonight," 7/13). In Providence, Jim
Donaldson: "We have seen the future of women's professional
sports. And it's shirtless" (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 7/14).
