Nike Reportedly Extends Its Endorsement Deal With Jeremy Lin

Beijing Business Today reports that Nike is "extending a contract" with Knicks G Jeremy Lin, according to He Shan of CHINA.org.cn. Terms of the renewed contract have not been made public, but the Internet "has already been flooded with a myriad of news" about Lin's upcoming signature shoes. Several China-based companies, including Li Ning, Peak Sports Products and Qiaodan Sports "had been lining up" for Lin to become "one of the ambassadors of their companies." Lin signed with Nike in '10 as a rookie with the Warriors (CHINA.org.cn, 2/22). Nike Brand President Charlie Denson said of Lin, “He is already an overnight sensation in China. We are working on plans as we speak on how to continue to leverage that and use him in China" ("Bloomberg Bottom Line," Bloomberg TV, 2/21). Meanwhile, the N.Y. POST's Page Six cites sources as saying that Lin’s reps have “turned down offers from a wireless phone company as well as a watchmaker, potentially worth ‘millions of dollars.’” Brands courting Lin reportedly are “being tight-lipped to not to lose ground to competitors.” A source said, “Jeremy doesn’t want to jump into anything. He wants to sit back and wait and see what suits him. He’s not looking for the quick money. The deals have to be right.” Another source added, “Asia is a major growth market right now for luxury brands. Using (Lin) in that market will be huge.” One source noted, “Jeremy is Harvard-educated, and he’s not going to do something flashy that’s just for the money” (N.Y. POST, 2/22).

CHINESE TRADEMARK OBTAINED: The FINANCIAL TIMES’ Simon Rabinovitch notes China-based Wuxi Risheng Sporting Goods has "obtained a trademark on the Chinese name” of Lin. The Oriental Morning Post reported Wuxi Risheng Sporting Goods Owner Yu Minjie paid US$708 last year "for 10-year ownership of the trademark.” The trademark will “allow Wuxi Risheng to use Lin’s Chinese name on shirts, hats, shoes, balls, toys and more.” The trademark is “not for his name alone but for the more expansive and cumbersome 'Jeremy S.H.L. Lin Shuhao,' with Lin Shuhao written in Chinese characters.” The implication is that Wuxi Risheng “was unable to buy his name in isolation, which should protect any company that signs endorsement deals with Lin” (FT.com, 2/22).

CAN'T GET ENOUGH: In Miami, Greg Cote writes what Lin “has done now for the past few weeks has been a phenomenon that is probably equal parts the sheer out-of-nowhere surprise of it, the New York market that tends to shoot everything up with media steroids and, yes, the fact Lin’s nationality is like a David Stern dream come true in terms of seeding NBA popularity in the Asian market” (MIAMI HERALD, 2/22). In DC, Dan Daly wrote in Lin, we “might have the perfect storm, the ideal confluence of race (Asian-American), religion (Christian), market (New York) and improbability (Harvard University, Class of 2010).” Daly: “Let’s face it, there’s no telling when the Linsanity will blow over. After all, it’s already lasted longer than anyone could have imagined” (WASHINGTON TIMES, 2/20). In Boston, Kevin Cullen wrote Lin is “as much a cultural phenomenon as a sporting one.” The NBA can “thank Lin for this overnight burst of domestic and international interest and excitement.” He is the first American of Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA and “there are viewing parties from Taipei to Hong Kong” (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/21). GRANTLAND.com’s Charles Pierce wrote part of Lin’s fame “is the fact that this is all happening in New York, and it's impossible to do anything spectacular in New York without turning your life into a brass band.” However, out in the “dim lands beyond the Hudson, it really is time for people to step slowly away from the vehicle into which they've turned Jeremy Lin's life.” It is going to take “a formidable effort for him to control the cartoon that is already under construction, no matter how flattering and well-intentioned that cartoon may be.” It is going to take “a formidable will for him to keep from becoming the symbol other people want to make of him for their own purposes” (GRANTLAND.com, 2/21).

SAY CHEESE: In N.Y., Janon Fisher reports Lin for the “second week in a row” appears on the cover of SI, the “first New York athlete to hold the honor.” The last athlete to “create enough buzz to merit back-to-back covers" was Mavericks F Dirk Nowitzki last June during the team's run to the NBA title (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/22).