PMI agent Bill Shelton said that despite Raptors F
Vince Carter dropping PMI's Tank Black as his agent, Shelton
is "continuing to negotiate with companies" on Carter's
behalf, according to Westhead & Soshnick of BLOOMBERG NEWS.
Shelton added that Carter currently has six endorsement
deals, including a recently signed three-year deal with
Microsoft, and is "close to signing a seventh, with Ford
Motor Co.'s Canadian unit." Shelton: "We're keeping in mind
that [Carter's] hot right now, but we're not going to go
willy-nilly and sign 90,000 agreements." While Carter is in
"litigation to sever ties" with Puma, shoe companies that
have "expressed interest" in him include Nike, adidas,
Reebok and Shaquille O'Neal-owned Dunk.net (BLOOMBERG NEWS,
3/9). In Toronto, Doug Smith calls Carter "the NBA's
version of the latest, hottest rock star" and "as much a pop
culture icon [in CA] as just one of the best players in the
NBA." Smith adds that ratings for the two Raptors games
aired on CTV since the All-Star break are up 82% "over
previous games, while ratings on the six games shown on
regional CTV Sportnet are up" 37% (TORONTO STAR, 3/10). But
also in Toronto, Craig Daniels wonders if Carter's "rise to
fame" has received "its due" in Toronto. Since September 1,
the Maple Leafs/NHL have been the "main cover photo" on the
Toronto Sun's front page 31 times, the Blue Jays/MLB five,
the Argos/CFL three, the Bills/NFL three and the Raptors/NBA
once -- on opening night. Daniels wonders, "Will the
perception of Carter and the Raptors playing second fiddle
to the Maple Leafs, influence Carter's decision about
whether to re-sign [with the Raptors] when his contract ends
[after the 2000-01 season]?" (TORONTO SUN, 3/10).
