Tennis player Sloane Stephens has "agreed to endorsement deals" with American Express and Listerine, "underscoring her emergence as possibly the next star of American tennis," according to Daniel Kaplan of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. These are Stephens' "first major off-court deals, and they soon could be joined by timepiece and cosmetics deals that her agents at Lagardère Unlimited are negotiating." The agency "recently re-signed with Stephens for several more years." Each of the two new deals "will pay Stephens around mid-six figures annually over at least three years, presuming she stays in the top 20 in the WTA rankings." Listerine "will use Stephens as an ambassador for a program called HealthySmiles." TV spots will air during ABC's "Good Morning America" the weeks of the U.S. Open. Stephens "shot the Listerine spots on the set of 'GMA,' though they are commercials and not part of the show." Stephens' agent John Tobias said that American Express "will activate around her globally, in a broader deal" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 8/12 issue).
