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Agent Steve Astephen says sponsors are showing interest in Sage Kotsenburg
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U.S. snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg, who won Gold in the Olympic debut of slopestyle snowboarding on Saturday, could “possibly appear on a Wheaties cereal box this spring,” according to Michael McCarthy of AD AGE. WMG President of Action Sports & Olympics Steve Astephen, who reps Kotsenburg, said that the phone has been “ringing with sponsors intrigued” by his client. The agency has “already approached General Mills, maker of Wheaties, and Olympic sponsor Procter & Gamble.” Snowboarder Shaun White and skier Lindsey Vonn appeared on Wheaties boxes “after they won gold” at the ’10 Vancouver Games. General Mills is not a USOC sponsor, but the Olympic marketing blackout “for non-sponsors ends on Feb. 26, three days after the Closing Ceremony.” Nike sponsors Kotsenburg, and Astephen believes the company will “end up running ad campaigns celebrating his success.” Astephen also thinks due to Kotsenburg’s “youth, good looks and fun-loving personality … the sky’s the limit for more long-term sponsorship deals.” Astephen: “He’s got that laid-back, funny atmosphere to him. He’s a special kid. He’s going to have a lot of fun.” Baker Street Advertising Senior VP & Exec Creative Dir Bob Dorfman said that Kotsenburg and fellow U.S. snowboarder Jamie Anderson, who won the women’s slopestyle, are “two of the most marketable athletes so far” from the Sochi Games (
ADAGE.com, 2/12).
