Deion Sanders, profiled in this week's N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE,
has "more than any other athlete ... taken advantage of the
peculiar mutation of free-market capitalism that governs
professional sports," writes Bruce Schoenfeld. Sanders' success
in the marketplace, he will earn $25M in '95, second to Michael
Jordan, comes more from "his image than for what he has
accomplished -- or can ever accomplish." Schoenfeld reports
Sanders "has proved himself adept at exploiting" opportunities --
"the paradigm for a new kind of athlete." Sanders: "It's hard
for upper-class whites to accept Deion Sanders. I mean, to
accept a guy who calls his own shots, speaks his mind, is
somewhat flamboyant and flashy, who you see on television
sounding articulate and wearing a few chains." Sanders controls
all of his transactions, and communicates with agent Eugene
Parker every day. Sanders: "Letting someone take care of your
money, that's like someone taking care of your kids."
ACTIVE PARTICIPANT: Sanders interacts directly with his
sponsors, something few athletes are known to do, and he "refuses
to let a company he's associated with decide how to use him."
Sanders came to Sega with ideas for a recent spot. Cowboys Owner
Jerry Jones says Sanders' participation in contract talks were
the key to his deal. Jones: "No Harvard Business School Student
could have nailed that contract to all four corners and taken
advantage of the situation like Deion did." Schoenfeld: "Give
him credit: he correctly read the future of professional sports
and has been rewarded for his prescience" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/19).
