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Marketing and Sponsorship

Openly Gay Boxer Orlando Cruz Fielding Endorsement Calls Since Coming Out

Orlando Cruz earlier this month became what is believed to be the first active boxer to announce that he is gay, and sponsors have since "come calling," according to HBO’s Jon Frankel. Cruz said before his announcement he did not “have any sponsors” but now he is fielding calls from interested companies. Cruz did not mention any of the potential sponsors he has heard from, but he said, “I am very, very happy. I am free.” OutSports.com co-Founder Cyd Zeigler said, “We talked to fans, people in the media, professional athletes, Fortune 500 companies -- across the board they say they will support an openly gay player.” Frankel noted leagues are “starting to spread messages of tolerance,” and star athletes are “speaking out for gay rights.” Following the report, HBO’s Bryant Gumbel asked Frankel, “Just as Orlando Cruz realized sponsorships after he came out, might the first (openly gay team sport athlete) get a windfall?” Frankel: “I think that is the feeling. The folks that we spoke to have directly spoken to the folks at Nike -- prominent company -- and other companies and they say they are really prepared to embrace an athlete. Of course, it’s got to be the right person, and what that means I don’t know. But everybody thinks this could be a real marketing bonanza” (“Real Sports,” HBO, 10/23).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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