Usain Bolt's football quest has captured the collective Aussie imagination.getty images
It "already has more bizarre twists than an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story," but on Sunday the "Curious Case of Usain Bolt, Professional Footballer delivered once again," according to Richard Parkin of the London GUARDIAN. Asked for his response to reports that A-League side Central Coast Mariners was "considering offering a professional playing contract" to Bolt, Manager Mike Mulvey "appeared entirely taken aback." Mulvey is not the only one "utterly in the dark," but it was an "illustrative moment" from a "will-he, won't he" saga made exponentially more complex by the various subplots, actors and interests involved. Ahead of the Rio Olympics, Bolt "penned" a multi-million dollar contract to become the face of Optus, Australia's second-largest telecom, as part of a "suite of commercial offerings" that reportedly netted the Jamaican more than A$30M during '15-16 alone. Bolt appeared in a range of TV, in-store and digital ads as Optus launched a new logo including the sprinter's "iconic lightening bolt pose."
NEW HOME?: The smallest of the original eight A-League franchises, the Mariners "punched above their weight" in the competition's early seasons, but in recent years "have been one of the worst performers." The announcement of Bolt's trial has been an "unmitigated commercial success." Nearly 10,000 "flocked" to Gosford to watch Bolt's preseason debut, with his first goal for the club attracting 6.2 million views on Twitter. London-based Pace Sports Management Dir Ricky Simms "represents Bolt globally." The initial proposal to bring Bolt to Australia in May was based on a A$3M deal including A$1.5M from Mariners Owner Mike Charlesworth. A second Australia-based agent, Tony Rallis, has "acted as an intermediary in the Bolt deal," due to his close ties with the Mariners (GUARDIAN, 10/22).
