Striking union actors, "still smarting from Tiger
Woods' defection, are launching a series of ads aimed at
keeping athletes from becoming strikebreakers," according to
Dave McNary of DAILY VARIETY. In an "open letter" to
athletes and their reps, SAG and AFTRA state in the ad, "As
we enter the 16th week of our strike, you will come under
increasing pressure from advertising agencies and the
products they represent to perform in nonunion commercial
shoots. Your courage and commitment will be severely
tested." The ad "also thanks those athletes" who have
honored the strike and "asserts that the goal is to benefit
'all commercial performers, whether professional actor or
athlete.'" McNary adds that the SAG/AFTRA "strategy appears
to be designed to counteract the excuses offered for
defying" the strike effort, as "athlete strikebreakers have
contended that they broke ranks because of obligations from
their endorsement contracts." The letter notes that
athletes "can still perform in ads" with the unions'
"blessing if the advertiser or agency has signed a union-
approved interim agreement," as have John Elway, Roberto
Alomar and Shannon Sharpe. The ad will appear in next
week's SportsBusiness Journal, a sister publication of THE
DAILY. Sports Business Group President David Carter said
that SAG/AFTRA's decision "to go directly to the athletes
and managers shows" that the unions have "strong concerns
about further strikebreaking." Carter: "It's a high-stakes
game because high-paid athletes may not feel much connection
to actors even though a huge amount of their income comes
from off-the-field activities. Once you get into star
status, it's tough to claim that you're just an athlete any
more" (DAILY VARIETY, 8/11).
