By Sessler, Marc With Ray Lewis headed into the sunset, people want to know who will fill that leadership void for the Baltimore Ravens this season. Coach John Harbaugh doesn’t have an answer for you. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at NFL
By Sessler, Marc With Ray Lewis headed into the sunset, people want to know who will fill that leadership void for the Baltimore Ravens this season. Coach John Harbaugh doesn’t have an answer for you. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at NFL
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The ad was immediately controversial, with many critics saying that the ad implies that Woods’ past sins — he admitted to serial infidelity in 2009 — are wiped away now that he’s winning again.
But isn’t that basically true?
Tiger did indeed fall out of favor with the public after the cheating scandal hit, and as a result he lost many of his endorsement deals. But earlier this month we looked at Tiger’s newfound winning touch, and considered the fact that many other athletes have recovered from worse scandals simply by playing well. Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, for instance, was linked to a murder and only avoided jail time by testifying against two companions. Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, meanwhile, admitted to cheating on his wife and was accused of sexual assault, though the charges were dropped.
Both athletes resumed their dominance of their respective sports, with Bryant winning two NBA championships since the charges were dropped and Lewis capping a hall-of-fame career with a Super Bowl championship. Lewis is now headed for an analyst job at ESPN; Bryant remains popular and largely kept his endorsement deals (including one with Nike).
Speaking of Tiger’s endorsement prospects earlier this month, sports marketing expert Larry McCarthy told us, “We’re extremely forgiving of [athletes] like Woods once they continue to play at the level they were at.”
Not everyone has forgiven Tiger, as this controversy makes clear. And no one would suggest that his recent string of success somehow absolves him of his personal failings.
But the fact is that athletes are ultimately judged on performance, and barring a truly career-ending scandal — Oscar Pistorius‘ murder charge or Lance Armstrong‘s admission of doping, for instance — they can always get back in our good graces by performing well on the field.
Nike probably shouldn’t have come right out and said so in their ad. And to be fair, the quote in question was initially uttered by Woods when he was asked whether he was preoccupied with his ranking.
But what Nike said was essentially correct: When it comes to sports, winning really does take care of everything.
Matt Brownell is the consumer and retail reporter for DailyFinance. You can reach him at Matt.Brownell@teamaol.com, and follow him on Twitter at @Brownellorama.
By ESPN.com Two-time Defensive Player of the Year Ray Lewis officially joined ESPN on Wednesday, one month after helping the Baltimore Ravens win the Super Bowl in his final NFL game. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at ESPN Headlines
Filed under: Advertising, Sports, Celebrities, Spending
Tiger Woods golf game is flowing again. And if he keeps it up, his endorsement dollars could start to flow again too.
Woods cruised to a two-stroke victory on Sunday at the Cadillac Championship, finishing 19-under for the tournament. It was his fifth PGA Tour win in the last year.
Five or 10 years ago, that sort of production from Woods wouldn’t have surprised anyone. But after his public meltdown and admission of infidelity in 2009, it looked like the 14-time Major champion would never be the same. After a stint in rehab to treat sex addiction, he spent the next two years winless, battling injuries and firing long-time caddy Steve Williams.
Several sponsors pulled out of their agreements with Woods, with Accenture (ACN) and General Motors (GM) dropping him outright and Gillette (PG) and TAG Heuer pulling ads featuring the golfer. By one estimate, Woods lost as much $30 million in endorsements, and with them the title of highest-paid athlete in the world. His only significant endorsement since was a 2011 deal with Rolex.
But now Tiger is winning again, and we’re more than three years removed from his sex scandal. Will the brands come knocking again?
It’s Great to Be a Winner (and Not to Be Lance Armstrong)
“There’s no doubt that he’s going to get back his endorsement power,” says Larry McCarthy, a sports marketing expert and business professor at Seton Hall University. “We’re extremely forgiving of [athletes] like Woods once they continue to play at the level they were at.”
Indeed, there’s ample precedent of athletes playing their way back into the public’s good graces after a scandal. Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was charged with obstruction of justice in connection with a double-murder, only avoiding jail time by testifying against two of his companions; he went on to have a hall-of-fame career, picked up endorsements from Under Armour and EA Sports, and even had a road in Baltimore named after him. Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant was charged with sexual assault after an encounter with a 19-year-old employee of a Denver hotel; the charges were later dropped, though the Lakers star did admit to infidelity. He held onto most of his endorsements.
Another factor potentially working in Woods’ favor is Lance Armstrong. The seven-time Tour de France winner’s recent admission that he used performance-enhancing drugs prompted his own sponsors — including Nike (NKE), Anheuser-Busch and 24 Hour Fitness — to cut ties with the disgraced cyclist. Even if Woods doesn’t pick up any of those lost endorsements (he’s already signed on with Nike), it stands to reason that his personal struggles suddenly don’t look …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By The Huffington Post News Editors
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ray Lewis drew plenty of flags during his 17-year NFL career.
On Sunday, he’ll get to throw one for a change.
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By Doug Guthrie, Contributor Recently I wrote about the indefatigable, on-the-field leadership of Ray Lewis, the inside linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens who is responsible, in part, for the team winning Super Bowl XLVII and who is retiring after 17 years of all-star service to the game. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
By Copeland, Kareem Among Baltimore’s athletic legends. Johnny Unitas has his statue. So does Cal Ripken, Jr. Ray Lewis, you’re next. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at NFL
By NFL.com Wire Reports Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Thursday that Ray Lewis, who retired after the Super Bowl, “has not expressed an interest to coach.” …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at NFL
By Wesseling, Chris Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis left his teammates sobbing Saturday night with an 11-minute speech on love and football as they made their final preparations for Super Bowl XLVII.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at NFL
By Tony Nitti, Contributor Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco celebrates with the Vince Lombardi trophy. (Getty Images via @daylife) While last night’s Super Bowl was certainly thrilling, with the Baltimore Ravens barely holding on to a secure a 34-31 victory over the surging San Francisco 49ers by coming up with four stops from inside the 5-yard line with less than two minutes to go, the game did leave a few lingering questions: On Jacoby Jones’ game-changing 56-yard touchdown catch, why did it appear as though 49ers defensive back Chris Culliver purposely jumped over Jones while he lay on the ground, rather than simply touching him and ending the play? It’s almost as if Culliver was trying to avoid man-on-man contact for some weird reason. Won’t someone please just give Jim Harbaugh a hug? When the lights went out in New Orleans, did anyone confirm the whereabouts of exiled Saints coach Sean Payton? I like to imagine that he exacted his revenge on the NFL by pulling the plug on the league’s greatest spectacle, a la Johnny from Airplane. Admittedly, I’m no theologian, but can someone please explain to me again why God would root for Ray Lewis? And of course…
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Hundreds of giddy Ravens fans poured into the streets Sunday night, whooping, hollering, dancing, and high-fiving complete strangers as they celebrated the team’s 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
On the far opposite coast, however, a spirit of hope and anticipation rapidly deteriorated to sullen disappointment as dejected fans tried to absorb their team’s loss.
In the East, patrons who packed into Mother’s Federal Hill Grille in Baltimore to watch the Ravens’ second Super Bowl appearance since the team arrived in the city in 1996 jumped up onto the bar and began belting out a rendition of the Queen song “We are the champions.” Bartenders sprayed purple party string into the air.
“I love this team. I love this city!” screamed Andrew Bieler, 21, shortly after the game ended.
Ashlee Tuck, 28, shouted “Yes!” and alternated between kissing her boyfriend and dancing as fans streamed out of the bar.
Michael Falls, 25, said he plans to take Monday off from his accounting job and his boss was going to do the same.
“I’m going to live up the night,” he said.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake joined in the fun, dancing and singing alongside the fans.
“The Baltimore Ravens once again demonstrated strength, poise, and perseverance as they prevailed in Super Bowl XLVII,” Rawlings-Blake said in a statement.
In a live interview from New Orleans on WBAL-TV, Rawlings-Blake said the city will hold a parade in the team’s honor on Tuesday that will start at City Hall and end at the Ravens’ stadium. She also urged fans to celebrate peacefully, while local television footage showed police mounted on horseback circling the crowds to maintain order.
Fans came decked out in purple for the game, many arriving at bars hours early to get seats. Women arrived with their nails painted purple. Men wore purple Mardi Gras beads. There were purple-feathered boas; purple, black and white camouflage pants; and a sea of purple and black jerseys.
It seemed no jersey was more popular than that of retiring middle linebacker Ray Lewis, No. 52. And whether they were wearing his number or not, fans said they wanted to win for Lewis, the only current player who started with the team when it came to Baltimore in 1996.
“We have to do it for Ray. It’s not all about Ray. It’s 90 percent for Ray, 10 percent for the city of Baltimore,” said Darren Love, 40, an off-duty police officer who wearing one-piece, zip-up pajamas with the Ravens’ logo in addition to purple wig.
Fans at Pickles Pub, just a few blocks from the Ravens’ M&T Bank Stadium, cheered when Lewis was shown on television at the start of the game. And the cheers continued when the team scored the first touchdown. The Ravens never trailed.
Chrissy Ramirez, 22, a first-grade teacher, was one of the fans who emptied out onto South Charles Street in the Federal Hill neighborhood after the win. Ramirez, who was wearing the No. 5 jersey of Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco, Ravens earrings, and a hat shaped like a Raven head, said she was excited and happy. She said she planned to “be ecstatic the rest of the week.”
In San Francisco, fans stumbled dejectedly out of bars in the Mission District, which had been the center of celebrations — and violence — after the San Francisco Giants won the World Series in the fall.
“Damn, that’s all I have to say,” said Niners fan David Mejia, 32.
As the game drew to an end, dozens of police officers and sheriff’s deputies fanned out on foot, motorcycles and patrol cars. A patrol helicopter hovered above, watching for signs of trouble.
The city had braced for possible rowdiness in the wake of the damage caused after the Niners won the NFC Championship Game two weeks ago. After that game, about a dozen people were arrested, mostly for public intoxication.
When the Giants won the World Series in late October, a city bus was set ablaze, cars were overturned and bonfires were in trash containers and in streets. About three dozen people were arrested.
Despite the large number of people on the streets Sunday night, however, most appeared to be well-behaved. Police declined to say how many arrests had been made.
“Citywide, everything seemed to be pretty good,” Officer Carlos Manfredi said. “We did have a couple of flare-ups in the Mission District but otherwise everyone seemed to be behaving themselves.”
___
Associated Press writer John S. Marshall in San Francisco contributed to this report.
Follow Jessica Gresko at http://twitter.com/jessicagresko
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News
By Sessler, Marc Ray Lewis hasn’t said much this week about the two men who were killed in Atlanta after Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000, but the Baltimore Ravens linebacker finally addressed the subject Sunday.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at NFL
By Rapoport, Ian Mitch Ross, the supplement maker who allegedly provided Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis with deer antler spray, has former St. Louis Rams linebacker David Vobora seething mad.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at NFL
By John Gaudiosi, Contributor With Baltimore Ravens star Ray Lewis playing his last NFL game at Super Bowl XLVII in the New Orleans Superdome, many see the defensive future of the game in San Francisco 49er Patrick Willis. The 28-year-old six-time Pro Bowl selection wears the same “52” jersey as Lewis, in honor of the player he used to play as in Madden. Both inside linebackers are huge fans of the EA Sports Madden franchise. The 2007 NFL Draft first round pick (11th) has quickly established himself as a leader of the 49ers and one of the best defensive players in the game today. The former University of Mississippi star and current NFC champion talks about his video game skills in this exclusive interview.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
By Darren Heitner, Contributor Colin Kaepernick, Ray Lewis, Jim Harbaugh, John Harbaugh, the commercials. There is no shortage of stimuli to capture the attention of people tuning in to Super Bowl XLVII. But the athletes and coaches on the field and the brands willing to pony up the money to gain 30-seconds of exposure during breaks in the action are not the only benefactors of the Big Game.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
By Associated Press The man who reportedly supplied Ray Lewis with deer antler spray can’t confirm the Baltimore Ravens linebacker ever used the stuff.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at ESPN Headlines
Ray Lewis practiced for the Baltimore Ravens for the last time, as the team prepares to face the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at NFL
By Chris Smith, Forbes Staff Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has flown mostly under the radar this Super Bowl season. It’s a bit of a surprise given that he has thrown for 853 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions through three playoff games, but even that sort of performance can be overshadowed by the media juggernaut following linebacker Ray Lewis.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
By Karl Shmavonian, Forbes Staff The sports world has been in a tizzy this week as Sports Illustrated alleged that earlier this year Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis used deer antler spray, which contains a growth hormone, to heal his torn triceps. In that same SI article golfer Vijay Singh admitted to also using the concoction. (Doesn’t deer antler spray sound like an aphrodisiac you’d buy online or in the back of a one-hand, laddie magazine?: “Buy Bambi and drive her wild!”) And in an article in the Miami New Times, Alex Rodriguez and others were accused of using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in the past few years. It is important to note that these are just accusations at this point, nothing has been substantiated. All of this in the wake of the Lance Armstrong saga.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
By ESPN.com news services Ravens coach John Harbaugh says star linebacker Ray Lewis assured him “there’s nothing to” a magazine report linking him to a company that makes deer-antler spray containing a banned performance enhancer.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at ESPN Headlines