Olympians Dropping Sponsors To Wear Speedo's LZR Racer
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Vendt Dropping Sponsorship To Wear
Speedo's LZR Racer Suit At Beijing Olympics |
U.S. Olympic swimmers Erik Vendt and Larsen Jensen both will wear Speedo during the Beijing Games, as competitors wearing the company's new LZR suit have set multiple world records, according to Lisa Dillman of the L.A. TIMES. Both swimmers "made the switch independently" of each other. Vendt, a longtime endorser of California-based swimwear company TYR, confirmed that he has switched to Speedo, but said that "nothing was official in terms of a contract." Vendt's agent Evan Morgenstein: "He's wearing the suit he feels is the fastest in the world, not because there is any deal pending. I'm hoping to have something for him, but there's no guarantee." Speedo Senior VP/Team Sales & Sports Marketing Stu Isaac, however, said that "talks are ongoing with Vendt and Jensen." TYR, which also has developed a high-tech suit, the Tracer Light, could not be reached for comment. Dillman notes neither Vendt nor Jensen has appeared in recent promo material for TYR. U.S. swimmer Cullen Jones, who is sponsored by Nike, said, "I would never burn bridges with Nike. I'm very happy with my company. I made that decision and I'm sticking with it" (L.A. TIMES, 4/16). Jones added, "The suit -- there's a lot of hype about it -- but it doesn't make the swimmer" (USA TODAY, 4/16).
DETAILS: BUSINESS WEEK's Ernest Beck details the development of the LZR and other high-performance suits, and notes while the global swimsuit market geared for elite athletes is around $15M annually, there is a "much broader 'training' market figured at $500[M] globally and made up of amateur, collegiate, club, and recreational swimmers." Overall, the U.S. swimsuit market is $4.3B wholesale (BUSINESSWEEK.com, 4/14).
TIGHT FIT: ESPN.com's Jim Caple noted the LZR is "so tight and thin, promotional images of swimmers wearing it were almost pornographic." Former U.S. Olympic swimmer Tara Kirk: "We have had a few comments in the locker room about the suits showing some, um, I'll call it side boob." But Kirk added, "It's a swimsuit. And it has a lot more coverage than a lot of the stuff you see at the beach" (ESPN.com, 4/15).
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