J’CAN ATHLETES NEED TO START LEVERAGING THEIR TALENTS FOR MATERIAL GAIN

It was so refreshing to see Shelly Ann Fraser on WPIX and on BET on 106 and Park recently. SAFP, the two-time Olympic 100-metre champion, 200-metre silver medalist and 2009 World Champion is a delightfully cheerful soul who deserves much more limelight than she currently gets.

SAFP is one of a handful of Jamaican athletes who are great brand ambassadors; they possess that combination of extraordinary talent and personality that allows them to transcend boundaries and engage audiences on an emotional level. Usain Bolt, the greatest sprinter that has ever lived has used those same qualities to attract a raft of sponsors that pay him in excess  of US$20 million a year. Fraser Pryce doesn’t earn anywhere close to that but she is sp0nsored by Digicel and Grace Kennedy and I am sure that with the right strategy she could attract more global sponsors.

I mean, what’s not to like about the former Wolmerian? She is cute and possesses an electric smile and she speaks in a manner that allows a wider audience to understand whatever message she is trying to communicate. It is a lesson for more Jamaican athletes to learn from. Why settle for only the money that you earn on the track when the potential is there to earn so much more off it. But for that to happen, the managers and agents have to be a bit more creative. The athletes need to be exposed more to the possibilities. Sherone Simpson, for example, I feel is perfect for a clothing or cosmetic line but somehow that is yet to materialize. Michael Frater would be perfect for a campaign that is trying to send a message of consistency and reliability, Melaine Walker too notwithstanding her meltdown in London this past summer.

Kaliese Spencer is another athlete who has been sponsored. Eve has hung their hat on her success and while she is yet to deliver a senior global medal she has won the Diamond League in the 400metre hurdles over the past two seasons. She is gifted and very attractive but needs media training that would make her even more attractive to potential sponsors.

I know we are still coming to grips with the magnitude of this island’s success over the last two Olympic Games but it’s been a while now and since the Government seems slow off the mark, the athletes need to start leveraging their success into something more tangible for themselves.