With a five-year endorsement deal with Reebok to be
announced Thursday, in addition to "four other lucrative
deals amounting to more than" $20M, Venus Williams will
become the "highest-paid female athlete in the world,"
according to Bill Hoffmann of the N.Y. POST. Venus'
recently announced deal with Wilsons Leather is "initially
expected to be worth about" $10M. Meanwhile, Venus and
Serena Williams' deal with Avon announced Friday "could net
them close to" $20M (N.Y. POST, 12/18). CNNfn's Beverly
Schuch said Avon's deal with the sisters "is a first for"
the company, "which has never had celebrity spokeswomen
before." Shares of Avon were down 7/16 on Friday and closed
at 42 1/8 ("Biz Buzz," 12/15). Venus discussed her line of
products she will help design under her Wilsons deal: "The
designs that I am working on right now will be out in fall
under (the label) V For Venus. The idea is that it's not
only leather jackets, but everything made to match: pants,
skirts, shirts. Leather is so hot right now" (N.Y. DAILY
NEWS, 12/16). In N.Y., Neal Travis wrote that the Williams
sisters were "glamourous standouts at Elle magazine's party
in their honor" at Tao in N.Y. the other night. Serena
"turned up in a gown she designed and Venus was wearing
something from Whistles of London" (N.Y. POST, 12/17).
BIG DEAL: Sports marketing consultant Kip Koslow
discussed Venus' deal with Reebok, worth a reported $40M
over five years. Koslow: "Reebok needed to maintain a
position in the marketplace, particularly women's tennis,
which is on the rise and has got tremendous popularity. ...
You've got the battle in the top there with [Martina]
Hingis, who's an adidas athlete, and you've got Lindsay
Davenport, who is a Nike athlete. ... I think it also speaks
volumes to what Nike and Reebok and the other shoe companies
are finally recognizing is the female athlete and the female
customer is a huge segment of their business" (CNN, 12/15).
