Sharapova’s Prince Deal Worth $25M; Sponsors Activate

Maria Sharapova’s lifetime endorsement deal with Prince “is set up to be worth about $25[M] over the next 10 years,” according to a source cited by the AP’s Howard Fendrich. Sharapova will earn royalties from sales of “various Prince products, and there are clauses tied to tournament appearances, success and rankings.” Prince VP/Sports Marketing & Communications Linda Glassel: “The contract is very similar to others in many ways, where she has the opportunity to earn additional dollars with even stronger performance.” Glassel said this is the first time Prince has agreed to a lifetime contract with a player (AP, 8/28).

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POWER BALL: U.S. Open sponsor Lexus has debuted a new print and TV ad campaign, titled “Life of a Ball,” that takes a humorous look at the life of a tennis ball. A print ad appears in the special U.S. Open bonus section of the current issue of SI with the headline, “What Becomes of the 99.98% of Tennis Balls That Never Make it to the U.S. Open.” Pictures show balls being used on the bottom of a walker, as a dog toy, an antennae ornament and a door stop. There are also two TV spots, the second of which features Lexus endorser Andy Roddick (Lexus).

MULLEN IT OVER: MassMutual Financial Group’s U.S. Open efforts, via Massachusetts-based Mullen, include TV spots that “show kids eagerly awaiting their upcoming tennis matches” and a dog who “can’t resist the lure of the game and smell of a freshly opened can of tennis balls.” A print ad is tagged, “Fitting That A Game That Stirs Such Passion Begins With The Score Love-Love.” MassMutual is a U.S. Open sponsor (ADWEEK.com, 8/25).

KEEP UP: SportsBusiness Journal’s Daniel Kaplan is blogging from the Open.