Welcome To New York: Sanchez' Heritage May Help With Marketing

Experts See Sanchez As One Of Most Recognizable Hispanic Players In NFL

Jets first-round draft pick QB Mark Sanchez' Hispanic heritage "may boost his sponsorship opportunities should he succeed" in the NFL, according to Matuszewski & Kercheval of BLOOMBERG NEWS. Industry experts contend that Sanchez immediately joins Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez as "one of the most recognizable Hispanic players" in the NFL. Prior to the draft, Sanchez worked as a spokesperson for Sprint Nextel, and Sprint PR Manager Dave Mellin said that "heritage factored in the decision to align with Sanchez." Mellin added that Sprint is "considering an extended partnership with Sanchez," who also inked a sponsorship with Gatorade prior to the draft. The Radiate Group Exec VP/Sports & Entertainment Jan Katzoff said that if Sanchez has a successful rookie season with the Jets, he could earn between $5-10M "in endorsements in 2010" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 4/27). ESPN's Sal Paolantonio said drafting Sanchez is "just a marketing dream for the Latino connection for the New York Jets. As one member of the PR department told me, they are going to own the Latin community.” Paolantonio held up the back page of the N.Y. Post with the headline, “Sanch-Yes!” Paolantonio: “But as we know, in New York that can quickly turn into 'Sanch-No' if he doesn’t win. You can market him, but he’s got to win” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 4/26).

Lions' Pro Shop Had Stafford Jersey Available Before Draft

THE LION ROARS: In Detroit, Mark Snyder noted before the start of the NFL Draft on Saturday, the Lions' pro shop at Ford Field had QB Matthew Stafford's "No. 9 jersey hanging and available for sale" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 4/26). Meanwhile, also in Detroit, Steve Schrader reported that "early sales indicate" that the Lions' new uniform and logo "are hits." Lions' retail partner MainGate President & CEO David Moroknek said, "We've done really, really well. It's really exceeded our expectations this first week. ... The one nice thing that we've really seen that was a little unexpected is the amount of orders we're receiving from states other than Michigan. Very strong sales from at least, on a conservative side, 15 to 18 other states." In the first 24 hours after the team unveiled the new uniforms and logo last Monday, detroitlionsstore.com registered more than 22,000 visitors and 300 orders, including orders from 10 countries (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 4/26).

NOTES: The Raiders are offering the jersey of first-round draft pick WR Darrius Hayward-Bey for $199.99, the "only team currently offering this expensive option of its recent draft pick to the team's fans" (CNBC.com, 4/26)....Packers draftee LB Clay Matthews Jr. was shown on ESPN's Draft coverage Saturday at home with family and friends wearing black T-shirts from CytoSport that read, “Walk On” and below that, “Muscle Milk” (THE DAILY).