WhenFreddy Adu joined MLS in 2003, league officials hailed him as a “unique andprecious jewel,” and described him as a player who could “transcend the sportto become an icon.” This week the child prodigy hailed as MLS’s potentialsavior will debut with a new team, in a new league, on a new continent — ajewel departed, an icon unfulfilled.
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Adu’s deal with Nike will
continue, but he’ll part ways
with others this year. |
Adu,now a member of Portugal’s Benfica, leaves behind a legacy less as a greatsoccer player with a bright future and more as a talented young player used asa marketing tool by the league and corporate America to generate interest inthe sport, soccer experts and sports marketers say.
“Itdidn’t have to be this big circus that this kid was going to change soccer,”said Eric Wynalda, an ESPN analyst. “The expectations were too high.”
Withhis MLS career now over, several close to the game say the league put too muchpressure on a teenager who was making a difficult transition from youth soccerinto the professional ranks.
“Hedid a lot of good at the gate,” said D.C. United President Kevin Payne, whoseteam Adu spent three seasons with, “but the pressure and expectations heabsorbed were unrealistic. Those of us fans of the game felt that way, but themarketing got away from us.”
Paynedoes not cast blame. He tried to temper expectations when Adu arrived, saying,“The talent is unmistakable. … But now he will be playing against men — menplaying for their livelihood. It’s a big, big jump.”
Adufirst drew media attention in June 2003 after signing a $1 million endorsementdeal with Nike and dazzling European scouts at the U-17 World Championships. Hewent on to sign a six-year deal with D.C. United in November worth $3 million.
Leagueofficials billed him as a prodigy and said that his decision to sign with MLSreflected the strength of the league.
“Webelieve that we will be able to achieve enormous things with Freddy,” MLSDeputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis said at the time, adding that Adu was the bestyoung player in the world — not just in the U.S.
Withinhours of signing with MLS, Adu appeared on “The David Letterman Show.” He wenton to film two national commercials, get mentioned in a Jay-Z song and appearon MTV’s “Total Request Live” and “60 Minutes.”
Itwas unprecedented exposure for MLS, but the most tangible benefit Adu offeredthat first year came at the gate, where the United became the league’s biggestroad attraction, drawing 23,686 fans on average — 6,453 more than the No. 2Colorado Rapids. He also helped D.C. United increase home attendance 10 percentto 17,232.
Allof it combined to solidify his place as the first American soccer player to gomainstream, MLS Commissioner Don Garber said at the time. He added, “We helpedestablish Adu as a crossover athlete, probably the first in the history of thissport.”
Somuch of Adu’s crossover success was built on his potential as the “prodigy”that the league billed him to be that his stature floundered when he didn’tmeet those expectations early in his career. It turned quickly, as disputesover playing time and concerns about off-field commitments began to underminehis positive impact around the league.
Criticsaccused the league of selling a star it never delivered.
“Theleague and the team, at the very least, are guilty of false advertising,”Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon wrote in October 2005, after just twoseasons. “It’s reasonable to suggest they’ve perpetrated a fraud.”
DerekAframe, a vice president with Octagon, said the league didn’t do enough tomanage the expectations around Adu and suggested it could have put greateremphasis on him as one of several successful young players the league signed.
“Therewas a tremendous amount of pressure heaped on the guy, but it wasn’tintentional,” Aframe said. “Where things stand today, the league receivedsignificant exposure and a large transfer fee (with the opportunity to earnmore), nearly all the sponsors associated with Freddy remain with MLS, andFreddy is being well-paid and has realized his dream of playing with a big clubin Europe, all before the age of 19.”
Patrick McCabe, an agent who represents 15-year-old AbdusIbrahim of FC Dallas, said that the public relations machine behind Adu, whichincluded his mother, a public relations official at Wasserman Media Group, hisagent and MLS, framed the expectations by allowing him to appear on“Letterman,” “Total Request Live” and other shows.
“Hedid that to promote the sport and in the end, wound up shouldering too much ofthe responsibility for its future — more than he could handle,” McCabe said.“If David Beckham is going to struggle with the expectations, how could weexpect a 14-year-old to do it?”
Adu’sagent, Richard Motzkin, agreed, saying, “In the beginning part, I think he wasstretched and the demands on his time were enormous. For a league trying to getattention and a foothold in the sports marketplace, when you have thoseopportunities you take advantage of them. Freddy enjoyed them. We said no tothings far more than we said yes.”
Headded, “There were ups and downs, but overall the experience with the leaguewas positive.”
Sponsorsreacted similarly to their time with Adu, who will see his agreement with Nikecontinue, while deals with BMW of Arlington and Pepsi end this year.
AsAdu begins a new chapter with a new club, Gazidis still believes the leaguesigned one of the world’s most talented teenagers. He has no regrets aboutAdu’s time with the league and believes he is leaving as a more mature andbetter player.
“Clearly,the signing attracted a lot of attention and sold a lot of tickets becausepeople were interested in seeing how good the kid was,” Gazidis said. “Theexpectations were a little unrealistic. At the same time, it was clear andcontinues to be clear, Freddy has some special gifts.”
Gazidissaid no lessons can be learned from Adu’s time with the league.
“Thatassumes that the league controls what people are interested in,” he said.
United’sPayne, who oversaw Adu’s first three years in the league, believes a lesson canbe learned.
“We need to make sure that with young players we don’tplace expectations on them that are unrealistic,” Payne said. “The way tolongevity begins with the team, the culture of the organization and thetradition of the organization. Players come and go, and you risk too much byputting your future on the shoulders of a player.”
Finding Freddy
Freddy Adu was being seen and heard from long before his first appearance on an MLS field, and he remained highly visible well through his rookie year.
May 2003: Signs $1 million contract with Nike
November 2003: Signs six-year deal with MLS
November 2003: Appears on CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman”
January 2004: Signs with Pepsi to endorse Sierra Mist
January 2004: Hosts MTV’s “Total Request Live”
March 2004: Profiled on CBS’s “60 Minutes”
March 2004: Profile by Wall Street Journal, in which it’s noted that Adu, since May, has done “about 500 interviews, appearances and photo shoots.”
April 2004: Sierra Mist ad titled “World Cup,” featuring Adu and Pelé, breaks on ABC.
May 2004: Signs with Campbell Soup to appear in a fall ad campaign.
August 2004: Signs with Grandstand Sports & Memorabilia, becoming, according to The Washington Times, the “youngest athlete to complete a private autographed memorabilia collection deal.”
October 2004: Jay-Z and R. Kelly release “Unfinished Business,” which includes an Adu mention in the song “Don’t Let Me Die”: “… Without further ‘adu,’ like Freddy get ready …”
December 2004: Award presenter at Spike TV’s “Video Game Awards 2004”
Research by Kiltie Tompkins
Source: SportsBusiness Daily archives
