Kim has appeared in Vogue, People and Time, which listed her among its 30 most influential teenagersGETTY IMAGES
U.S. snowboarder Chloe Kim "not only has the makings to become America’s Sweetheart 2.0" at the Pyeongchang Games, but "may emerge as the global sporting face of a generation the IOC and its corporate partners are desperate to connect with," according to Scott Reid of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. The 17-year-old Kim also has the "potential staying power to dominate multiple Games." While it "might be a stretch to view Kim as a five-ring savior," she "certainly has the potential to be a transformative figure for an Olympic movement clearly in need of a significant overhaul." Kim has already "caught Corporate America’s attention." She was "barely old enough to drive when Toyota signed her as a spokesperson." Kim’s authenticity has "propelled her beyond the X Games culture." She has "appeared in Vogue, People and Time, which listed her among its 30 most influential teenagers." Forbes "named her as one of its '30 Under 30' last year." The only thing "bigger than the air Kim rides is her personality." She "isn’t so much an athlete as a rock star." Toyota North America Group VP & GM Jack Hollis said of Kim, "The whole package: talent, story and charisma" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 2/3). In DC, Rick Maese notes Kim comes "equipped with a bubbly personality -- candid, eager and relatable -- and a Korean heritage that makes her marketable at home and abroad." NBC long ago "tabbed her as one of the faces" of the Pyeongchang Games, and Nike plans to "feature her in a campaign on the ground in South Korea this month. Among her "myriad sponsors is a South Korean-based cosmetics company" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/5).
LEADING THE CHARGE: USA TODAY's Rachel Axon in a front-page piece notes before coming out as gay, U.S. freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy "worried about how it would affect his career and whether he would lose sponsors." To his surprise, the "opposite has happened." United Airlines, which he has "flown for years, signed him and cast him as a superhero in its pre-Olympics campaign." In a Head & Shoulders commercial, he "holds a rainbow flag." Visa, Chobani, Toyota, Comcast and Samsung are "among those he’s signed before these Games." In the lead-up to Pyeongchang, Kenworthy has been "open about his political opinions." He said that he would "not go to the White House with the U.S. team." He also criticized the selection of Vice President Pence to "lead the U.S. delegation." He added that any sponsor who "might be scared off by that isn’t a sponsor he needs" (USA TODAY, 2/5).
