Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Does Wie seek to change the face of sports (and not just women's sports)?

Obviously, the decision by Michelle Wie to turn pro within the next few weeks is big news for women's golf. But, catching my eye in the story about her decision are these passages suggesting that Wie might aspire to a lot more than just becoming an icon in women's sports:

[Wie] also will enlist the services of the William Morris Agency to secure further commercial endorsements and guide her pro career, shunning traditional golf-management companies and suggesting her long-term aspirations may involve transcending the game as much as dominating it....

Wie's alignment with William Morris formalizes a relationship that began seven or eight years ago, according to an insider, although the agency has no prior experience in representing pro golfers and has struggled in previous partnerships with athletes. By signing with a Beverly Hills, Calif.-based image machine known for its roots in the entertainment industry -- Clint Eastwood, John Travolta and Heidi Klum are among William Morris' more notable clients -- Wie continues to defy any conventional mold. Of course, such iconoclastic vitality has become one of the Hawaiian teenager's strongest marketing assets.

1 Comments:

At 10:48 PM, Blogger Power Fade said...

Perhaps this is late news, but Wie picked that agency because her big Rival, Creamer, already had IMG and Taylor Made, which leaves Wie with Nike and William Morris. Nike is not the type of golf sponsor you would probably pick as a superstar...they are new to the game, and still don't have much of a hold with any particular equipment on tour.
Yes, yes, they have Tiger, but they would fade without him on the golf scene.

 

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