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July 28, 2010 - 8:15 amShare
Patrick RisheBio | Email
Dr. Rishe is the Director of Sportsimpacts and an Associate Professor of Economics at Webster University in St. Louis, MO.
Dez Bryant has a lot to learn about the business and logistics of being a professional football player. And his agent and/or marketing team had better hope that his story is not the beginning of a cautionary tale of how not to behave upon transitioning from the college ranks to the NFL. His behavior to date has already left millions on the table, and continued defiant and immature behavior may leave Mr. Bryant a very unliked, unpopular, and financially underachieving individual.
As a freshman for Oklahoma State in 2007 Mr. Bryant finished second on the team with 43 receptions for 622 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. He finished his sophomore season of 2008 with 87 receptions for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns, including 2 punt returns for touchdowns. As a result, he was named 2008 Wide Receiver Trophy Recipient by the College Football Performance Awards.
Had he performed at a high level during his junior year in 2009, Mr. Bryant may have parlayed that into being one of the top picks in the 2010 NFL draft. Unfortunately, he was declared ineligible for the last half of the season for inappropriate communications with former NFL player Deion Sanders.
The inability to showcase his talents during the tail end of the 2009 college football season, coupled with the perception of a bad-boy image, lowered his draft stock considerably. As the 24th pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 2010 NFL Draft, Mr. Bryant received $8.5 million guaranteed. Note that the top WR taken in the 2009 draft (Darius Heyward-Bay taken 7th overall by Oakland) received $23.5 million guaranteed. Though not an apples-to-apples comparison, one could argue that Mr. Bryant left between $8-15 million on the table for his poor judgment and foresight.
And now on the heels of Mr. Bryant's refusal on Monday to carry a teammate's equipment after practice - a variation of standard NFL rituals that is a normal rite of passage for rookies - CNBC.com reported on Tuesday that Mr. Bryant's endorsement relationship with Under Armour is already over before Mr. Bryant has played a single NFL game.
Sponsors today more than ever are highly sensitive to the kind of public image their celebrity endorsers project. It's tough enough for companies to justify sport sponsorships these days, let alone take a chance to invest in a relationship with an athlete of questionable behavior, demeanor, and character.
Mr. Bryant's representatives had better educate their client about the virtues of humility and accountability...and soon.
His behavior has already cost him millions of dollars even before playing a single down in the NFL.
Continued arrogance and aloofness will kill his long-term sponsorship appeal, and will do little to ingratiate himself with his new teammates...something that could easily diminish his on-field performance as well.
Patrick RisheBio | Email
Dr. Rishe is the Director of Sportsimpacts and an Associate Professor of Economics at Webster University in St. Louis, MO.
Dez Bryant has a lot to learn about the business and logistics of being a professional football player. And his agent and/or marketing team had better hope that his story is not the beginning of a cautionary tale of how not to behave upon transitioning from the college ranks to the NFL. His behavior to date has already left millions on the table, and continued defiant and immature behavior may leave Mr. Bryant a very unliked, unpopular, and financially underachieving individual.
As a freshman for Oklahoma State in 2007 Mr. Bryant finished second on the team with 43 receptions for 622 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. He finished his sophomore season of 2008 with 87 receptions for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns, including 2 punt returns for touchdowns. As a result, he was named 2008 Wide Receiver Trophy Recipient by the College Football Performance Awards.
Had he performed at a high level during his junior year in 2009, Mr. Bryant may have parlayed that into being one of the top picks in the 2010 NFL draft. Unfortunately, he was declared ineligible for the last half of the season for inappropriate communications with former NFL player Deion Sanders.
The inability to showcase his talents during the tail end of the 2009 college football season, coupled with the perception of a bad-boy image, lowered his draft stock considerably. As the 24th pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 2010 NFL Draft, Mr. Bryant received $8.5 million guaranteed. Note that the top WR taken in the 2009 draft (Darius Heyward-Bay taken 7th overall by Oakland) received $23.5 million guaranteed. Though not an apples-to-apples comparison, one could argue that Mr. Bryant left between $8-15 million on the table for his poor judgment and foresight.
And now on the heels of Mr. Bryant's refusal on Monday to carry a teammate's equipment after practice - a variation of standard NFL rituals that is a normal rite of passage for rookies - CNBC.com reported on Tuesday that Mr. Bryant's endorsement relationship with Under Armour is already over before Mr. Bryant has played a single NFL game.
Sponsors today more than ever are highly sensitive to the kind of public image their celebrity endorsers project. It's tough enough for companies to justify sport sponsorships these days, let alone take a chance to invest in a relationship with an athlete of questionable behavior, demeanor, and character.
Mr. Bryant's representatives had better educate their client about the virtues of humility and accountability...and soon.
His behavior has already cost him millions of dollars even before playing a single down in the NFL.
Continued arrogance and aloofness will kill his long-term sponsorship appeal, and will do little to ingratiate himself with his new teammates...something that could easily diminish his on-field performance as well.