In terms of whether World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner can make the jump "from pitcher to pitchman," the answer is "absolutely," according to sports marketing experts cited by John Shea of the S.F. CHRONICLE. Endorsements "more in line with his Southern roots" may be in order. Former MLB Giants President Pat Gallagher: "If I were selling trucks and tractors, he’d be the guy." Shea noted Bumgarner after the World Series "retreated to his farm in the Appalachian foothills of North Carolina." Relativity Baseball Dir of Marketing Ed Cerulo, whose company reps Bumgarner, said, "He will definitely have some endorsements and nice partnerships. There could be things here that launch in the next couple of months." Cerulo "visited North Carolina to strategize with Bumgarner for two days last week." He thinks that Bumgarner "would do well with traditional big-time endorsements such as Gatorade or Subway while 'always remaining true and authentic to who he is. That’s part of his branding that he and we want to stay true to.'" Not long after Bumgarner "threw the final pitch in the World Series, Jockey introduced its line of MadBum boxer briefs." Jockey COO Dustin Cohn: "Our campaign celebrates iconic Americans. Most important, he was a Jockey wearer, and that was important to us. ... When we reached out to his camp during the playoffs, the very first question we asked was, 'What underwear do you wear?'" The MadBum line "is limited and won’t be available to the public, though some boxers were distributed at the World Series parade and Bumgarner signed 17 pairs to be auctioned for Jockey’s charity." Cerulo said that Bumgarner's first memorabilia appearance since the World Series "was in Chicago last Saturday" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 11/29).
