Written by Leah Ling
The USWNT on the whole and individual players themselves have a number of endorsement deals with a wide range of companies. Since the U.S. Soccer Federation is a non-profit organization, its corporate sponsorships play a vital role in supporting its athletes, teams, and operations. One such sponsor, Clorox, has produced a web series called “One Nation. One Team. 23 Stories” in which each player on the team has her own two minute video [1].
The videos mainly center around memories from each player’s childhood or journey to the national team, and each video begins with the player holding a childhood photo. For instance, Abby Wambach talks about losing the state championship gamer her senior year of high school and later losing the 2011 World Cup, and how those experiences affected her character and personality. Amy Rodriguez talks about her journey back to the field after being pregnant with her son. Her message is about resilience and not being ready to hang up her cleats. These videos give fans a glimpse into the personal lives of the stars of the USWNT. However, they are clearly produced by Clorox, as you cannot view the videos without first watching a video ad.
What trends exist within individual player endorsements?
Individual player endorsement deals can be divided into two categories: products for women, and non-gender specific products.
Alex Morgan has taken a fairly active role in endorsing Tampax Pearl Active by leading Tampax-sponsored soccer camps in addition to being featured in multiple online video features [2]. The general message of her campaign is to empower girls to be able to do their best, no matter the circumstances. To reinforce this message, the subjects of the three online videos are “Confidence is Key” [3], “Preparation is Everything” [4], and “Don’t Let Anything Get in Your Way” [5]. During these videos, Morgan seems forced and almost a bit uncomfortable with the overwhelmingly positive message.
In addition to Tampax Pearl Active, Morgan also endorses Degree deodorant [6]. The Degree ad differs from Tampax in the way that Morgan is perceived. In the Tampax ad, Morgan acts enthusiastic and uplifting because the tagline for the ad campaign is #awesomelyactive. However, in the Degree ad she is portrayed as a competitor on the field, and as a free spirit who enjoys paddle boarding when she has the time. Thus, the gendered product ad campaign produces a different image of Morgan than that of the non-gender specific product.
In Hope Solo’s endorsement of Nike+Training capabilities, she is presented as the strong, intimidating female athlete that she is [7]. There is no inspiring message, since Solo instead simply demonstrates her athleticism and the features of the Nike+Training program and components.
[1] One Nation. One Team. 23 Stories. U.S. Soccer. n.d. http://www.ussoccer.com/womens-national-team/2015-wwc-1n1t-23stories
[2] Soccer Star Alex Morgan Shoots, Scores, and Inspires Girls to Be Awesomely Active On and Off the Field. Proctor & Gamble Corporate Newsroom. January 21, 2015. http://news.pg.com/press-release/pg-corporate-announcements/soccer-star-alex-morgan-shoots-scores-and-inspires-girls-be
[3] Reaching Goals with Alex Morgan/Ask Alex: Confidence is Key. Tampax. January 21, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCJIbhTxSBU
[4] Reaching Goals with Alex Morgan/Preparation is Everything. Tampax. February 13, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L80t80PnEc
[5] Reaching Goals with Alex Morgan/Don’t Let Anything Get in Your Way. Tampax. March 11, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKbXaD5QseU
[6] Do: More – US – Do: Challenge – Alex Morgan. Degree. March 7, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQTjczqzcyc
[7] Nike+Training: Train Like Hope Solo. Nike. June 23, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUFZ8D5ytck
How to cite this page: “USWNT Player Endorsements.” Written by Leah Ling (2015), World Cup 2015, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke University, http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/world-cup-guides/world-cup-2015-guide/uswnt-player-endorsements/ (accessed on (date)).
