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Tim Tebow Signs Apparel Deal With Adidas As MLB Interest In Him Continues To Rise

Tim Tebow has signed a multiyear deal with adidas, as his "attempt to make it in baseball accelerated" the "active dialogue" between him and other shoe and apparel companies, according to sources cited by Darren Rovell of ESPN.com. Terms of the deal were not available. Tebow as a first-round NFL Draft choice in '10 signed an endorsement deal with Nike "worth $300,000 a year" (ESPN.com, 8/30). Radio host Dan Patrick said, "It feels like this was just a marketing ploy to me. Tim Tebow's not going to be able to play Major League Baseball. Even minor league baseball would be a stretch." Patrick: "This was, 'I'm going to roll out this new adidas sponsorship and get to be a spokesperson for adidas. I'm still relevant.'" Patrick added, "All this was is, 'I'm going to go out and run around in adidas stuff and I'm going to put myself on display in adidas gear'" ("The Dan Patrick Show," 8/31). 

WHO WILL IT BE? ESPN’s Pedro Gomez reported five MLB teams held one-on-one interviews with Tebow following his showcase yesterday, and several scouts predicted the Braves “to probably be one of the clubs to be more serious than not” in signing Tebow. That has to do with the fact Tebow "played football in SEC country,” and there are a “lot of football fans” in Braves territory. Gomez: “If you put him in a Spring Training game with a Braves jersey on, you definitely would be able to sell that jersey. That would be money that you could then spend throughout your organization for other players to develop” (“SportsCenter,” ESPNews, 8/30). MLB Network's Brian Kenny said, "If I'm a Major League club, I would think I’ve got short season A-ball or some small town in A-ball, and is Tim Tebow going to help my organization there? Yes he is. He’s not going to hurt you" ("MLB Now," MLB Network, 8/30). ESPN’s Jim Bowden said, "He'll sell some tickets. If you're a team like Tampa Bay, bring him in to Tampa Bay, let him draw some fans there in the state of Florida and see what happens” (“Baseball Tonight,” ESPN2, 8/30). ESPN's Jayson Stark: "Can you imagine if he's in the Marlins' camp or the Rays' camp? I think they'd sell a few tickets. ... Is he going to get signed? I'm going to say yes" ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 8/31). 

IN IT TO WIN IT: In L.A., Tom Hoffarth notes 28 MLB teams yesterday were in attendance for Tebow's workout at USC, "totaling more than 45 scouts." That was also the "number of media members who were invited." Tebow's agent, CAA Sports' Brodie Van Wagenen, said it was important to Tebow to have "an authentic evaluation of his talents" and for teams interested to "sign him as an athlete and not a celebrity." Van Wagenen said that Tebow is not "doing this for the money, because he would also have to leave a somewhat lucrative deal with ESPN's SEC Network as a studio analyst to pursue this further" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 8/31).

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