While James was in high school he excelled in two sports, football and his more known sport, basketball. LeBron excelled greatly in football, he was named All-State wide receiver in his sophmore year (Smithwick 10). His mom was worried about James and wanted him to quit football, so he wouldn’t get hurt. Later he broke his finger in a football game and his mother made him quit. When he was in high school, James made the rounds of the postseason all-star games, and he earned most valuable player of the year award at the McDonald’s High School All-American Game (Newsmakers B2). LeBron wanted to skip his senior year to enter into the NBA draft, but was against NBA rules, so he returned to high school now the most famous high school player. Even before James entered the NBA draft he had already signed a $90 million contract with the brand Nike (Contemporary C4). LeBron James entered the NBA draft in the summer of 2003, and was selected by the "struggling to make it in the NBA" Cleveland Cavaliers (Smithwick 14). The three year contract that James signed with the Cavaliers amounted to nothing beside the more than $100 million in endorsement contracts he has signed with Nike, Sprite, Powerade, Upper Deck Cards, and Bubblicious bubble gum. If it was anybody's guess, they would have said that James was going to play poorly in his first year, but he proved them wrong, everybody wrong. He was named rookie
LeBron Raymone James was born on December 30, 1984 in Akron, Ohio to a 16-year-old mother, Gloria Marie James, who raised the child on her own. When James was growing up, life was often a struggle for the family, as they moved from apartment to apartment in the seedier neighborhoods of Akron while Gloria struggled to find steady work. Realizing that her son would be better off in a more stable family environment, Gloria allowed him to move in with the family of Frank Walker, a local youth football coach, who introduced James to basketball when he was nine years old. While james was young he played AAU ball . Lebrons freshman year he went to St. vincent- St. mary high school . then lebron averaged 21 points 6 rebounds per game as the season went on james led them to a 27-0 season In 2002, LeBron tried to enter the NBA, but was considered ineligible because he had not yet graduated from High School. In his senior year LeBron’s average stood at 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals per game. For his achievements, he was named Ohio’s Mr. Basketball for three years in a row. He was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated which was a hint at the expectations that rested on him. All his matches were having seating problems because of the increased number of spectators coming to watch him play. In 2003, he was selected in the NBA draft to play for the
Lebron James and Kobe Bryant are two of the most explosive players in the NBA today. Each player has his own playing style that separates him from the rest of the league. Both players have their own career achievements, endorsements, and personal life stories behind the game. If you ask anybody, the comparison between these two players is great. It is a never ending debate between who is better because both players have something different to bring to the table. Side by side on paper, both players seem dominant and may one day end up in the basketball hall of fame. But as individuals, side by side, each has a different but similar life.
Lebron James, the first pick taken in this year’s draft, may be the prototype for an athlete having immediate fame and wealth by jumping straight to the NBA. Almost undoubtedly, he has set the bar for years to come. Before he even played in an actual NBA game, he already had his own commercial and shoe deals. When he was a senior in high school, ESPN and ESPN2 were already publicizing his regular season games whenever they had the chance. Amazingly, as a junior in high school, he was already being considered the next Michael Jordan (Broussard).
We are going to start with a bit of History, when the NBA League started marketing was a heavy and important part, due to the fact that there needed to be followers in order for the association to continue “living”. The 1960’s were a known for their purity and realism, followed by the
Who is Lebron James you say? Lebron James is a professional basketball player. In 2003, Lebron got drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers. In round 1 on the NBA Draft Lebron James was the first pick in 2003 [landofbasketball.com]. Lebron James should win the Greatest Player of the Year Award.
During his career, Michael Jordan participates in the dunk contest three times. He comes in 2nd place his first time, then wins the next two times. Each dunk was amazing, but that’s not what stands out to most people. Every time he dunks the ball, he hangs his tongue out of his mouth. This is very different, and it catches a lot of people’s attention. His tongue hangs out of his mouth in pictures of his famous free throw line dunk. Michael is a past participate of the 3 point contest. Michael Jordan has a long list of endorsements, including Nike, Gatorade, Wheaties cereal, Warner Brothers, Hanes underwear, McDonalds, and Oakley Sunglasses. Michael Jordan has been in the all-star game 11 times. He has won the All Star MVP award 3 times out of those 11
Many have heard the name "LeBron" at least once due to his popularity among basketball fans and the basketball player's countless merchandise items. LeBron James is undoubtedly one of the most successful ball players in the game today. The 6'8" 250Lbs Cleveland Cavalier Forward has always had a talent for basketball
My topic is about the full impact LeBron James has had on the NBA and society. He is known as a modern-athlete activist, he has never been shy to express his thoughts on social issues outside and inside of the NBA. LeBron James has played such a major role in the Black Lives Matter movement. For example, in the opening of the 2016 ESPYs, LeBron mentioned all the recent police shootings that have been occurring, and expresses his feelings on how he wants change. My topic will also talk about the impact he’s had on the economy, not only the impact inside of the NBA but thing’s he’s done outside of the league. Overall, I’ll explain the overall impact that he’s had on the world, and how much of an influence he has been in the African American community.
Imagine you are in the stands of a Miami Heat game watching the greatest player of the game Lebron James play. One minute you see in chasing down a defender to block him. Then next you see him running a fast break down the court flying through the air. Are you thinking that could be MJ? The answer would be no, because according to Lebron he is not MJ he is LJ.
Michael Jordan. MJ, Air Jordan, His Airness, Money, Black Cat, the list goes on. Call him what you want, but one thing is for sure; he is one of the greatest and most influential athletes of all time. Not only did he leave his mark on basketball forever, but he also sparked the the globalization of American sport. Growing up in a small, middle class town, Jordan defied all odds in order to make it as a player. He was cut from his high school team as a sophomore and dealt with racism soon after, yet finished his NBA career with six championship rings (LaFeber 30). But how did Michael Jordan become the icon that is pervasive today?
Due to the nature and complexity of contracts, agents are expected to have a background in contract law and be knowledgeable in finance, business management, financial and risk analysis, and of course, sports. In order to be a successful sports agent one must not only be a great negotiator, but also be highly motivated, have exceptional communication skills, be prepared to work long hours and handle multiple tasks at the same time.
Michael Jordan, a man who is idolized for his athletic prowess, once said “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed” (“Michael Jordan Quotes”). 2.5 million dollars is an insane amount of money, so imagine how twenty-one-year-old Jordan felt signing this deal with Nike.inc; who used this as an opportunity to launch the Air-Jordan shoe, with the iconic Jump-man logo on the side. The popularity of these shoes led people to stand in lines and even steal them from others. Jordan’s immense talent earned him over thirty million dollars per season, but his businesses earned him a large chunk of money as well. MJ became the star of the hit movie, Space Jam, and endorsed products such as McDonalds, Hanes, and Gatorade. Three years after his retirement from the NBA, Jordan became an owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, currently the Hornets, becoming the first former player to own a franchise (Dodds, Colin). MJ supports over fifteen different charity cases, and some of them being: LIVESTRONG, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Special Olympics. His good-natured attitude and morals off the court added with his immense skill on it, firmly place him as one of the best players ever (“Michael Jordan: Charity
The use of specific athletes in marketing campaigns really began to show promise when athletes like Jordan began wearing their own brands of shoes. The idea to consumers or fans of the NBA that they could wear the same shoes as Michael Jordan, and somehow play like him was an easy sell by Nike. Today it is now common for marketable athletes in almost all sports to wear their own style of shoes, spikes, or skates. An interesting point to make is that through Nike Michael Jordan eventually launched his own clothing line called Jumpman23 that makes everything from socks and underwear to winter coats. Even though Jordan has been retired since 1999 the Jumpman23 company has continued to release a new shoe every single year that are simply called “Jordan 24”, an increasing corresponding number to the number of years the shoes have been produced. The new Jordan shoes still retails at over $150 a pair even though Mike hasn’t stepped on the court in 11 years! After retirement and becoming the CEO of the Jumpman brand Michael Jordan has been able to court other famous athletes from a variety of sports to wear his brand. A few examples of the athletes include Derek Jeter (baseball), Dwayne Wade (basketball), Jason Taylor (football), and April Holmes (track and field). The wide range of athletes in all different sports who now market a brand for arguably the greatest athlete of all time truly shows the money, power, and influence an athlete can experience
Sports' marketing is a comparatively new field and dimension within the broad concept of marketing. It is continuously evolving and changing today as society combats the free market to decide the legal and ethical limitations of business today. It is significant to note that this discipline within marketing is not clearly defined. Sports today use corporate sponsorships and television money in order to contend and pay for top quality athletes. Those companies use teams, leagues, colleges, and individuals to make a distinction between their products in a very aggressive business environment. What makes up sports marketing to one person could be considered selling out to another. The business world keeps pushing to find a competitive advantage and the sports world has in general welcomed the money offered (Weikel, n.d.).