Despite the U.S. women's soccer team's WWC win, "most
companies with big sports-marketing budgets have been
surprisingly tepid about new advertising or sponsorship
commitments," according to Walker & Weinbach of the WALL
STREET JOURNAL. While it "might be ... tempting" to "blame
the skittishness on sexism, ad buyers point to economic
factors instead." Analysts say that one reason marketers
are "taking a cautious approach" is that "companies still
aren't sure how effectively female soccer players can reach
their target audiences." WWC sponsor A-B, which ran a
commercial featuring MF Julie Foudy during the tournament,
says that its "only current plan is to schedule some
appearances" for Foudy at trade shows, and an official
"familiar" with Mia Hamm's pact with Dreyer's Grand Ice
Cream said that the company "hasn't made any plans to
extend" the deal. The official: "We want to see if the
promotion is successful" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/14).
WHERE WAS BRIANA? In N.Y., Jonathan Kaufman writes that
"many blacks say" G Briana Scurry "has been slighted" in
media coverage of the team, and ABC has even "gotten an
earful from irate black viewers" who criticized the net for
showing Mia Hamm while Scurry was accepting her medal. ABC
"denies there was anything racial" in its post-game coverage
of Scurry, but ABC spokesperson Ed Dandridge said that the
net "regrets not paying more attention" to her. Dandridge:
"We wish we had given more prominence to Briana Scurry just
as we wish we had given every member of the team more
coverage." Meanwhile, the JOURNAL's Kaufman writes that
Scurry, despite her "high standing in the soccer world, ...
hasn't benefited from endorsements that have showered white
players" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/14).
SHOULD "BABES" BE LEVERAGED? Just three days after
calling the U.S. women's team "chicks" the "real deal," the
N.Y. POST's Andrea Peyser writes that the team is "proving
as graceless and greedy as pro athletes can be. ... Couldn't
the soccer babes have waited at least until they were off
the playing field to cash in?" Noting Chastain's act and
the team's appearance in a Disney World ad, Peyser writes,
"When the thirst for cash prompts distasteful displays and a
lowering in standards of sportsmanship, you get the message
that love of the game is secondary to winning" (N.Y. POST,
7/14). But in St. Louis, Bernie Miklasz is "surprised" that
women using "sex appeal to promote interest" is "an issue.
... Male athletes never have been shy about using their good
looks or macho posturing to strike a deal. ... If male
athletes can market themselves, then why would we disapprove
of women who choose to do the same thing?" (POST-DISPATCH,
7/14). Leonard Armato: "I bristle when people criticize
women for flaunting their sexuality in sport, because men
have done that forever. I thought [Chastain's celebration]
was uplifting" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/14).
WWC NOTES: Organizers of the rally at NikeTown in N.Y.
yesterday honoring the U.S. team estimated that 3,500 people
attended the event (N.Y. TIMES, 7/14)....General Mills
spokesperson Natalie Peterson said the company has "been
inundated with calls" from people wondering if the U.S. team
will be featured on a Wheaties box. But Mia Hamm said that
"from what she hears, Wheaties ... is not interested."
Hamm: "Some people get it, and some people don't. That's
OK. We like the sweeter cereals" (AP, 7/14)....TV GUIDE
gives "Jeers" to ABC and ESPN for "raising our expectations"
on the Allstate promo that had two 13-year-olds attempting
to win $1M by kicking a ball through a "small hole" during
halftime of the U.S.-Nigeria match (See THE DAILY, 4/20).
TV GUIDE notes the difficulty of the promo and adds that Mia
Hamm "probably couldn't make that shot" (TV GUIDE, 7/17).
