Sports Biz

RSS FEED

» Help

Subscribe to this RSS feed
Stay up to date with the Sports Biz blog.

SPORTS BIZ VIDEO GALLERY

» More

- The SI King 23 Nov 2009
  CNBC's Darren Rovell has the story on Scott Smith putting his Sports Illustrated collection on sale.
- Weis's Golden Parachute 23 Nov 2009
  CNBC's Darren Rovell follows the money and the future of Notre Dame head football coach, Charlie Weis, after another disappointing season.
- The Future of the NFL 20 Nov 2009
  Discussing the state of the game, with Tom Condon, CAA Sports and CNBC's Darren Rovell.
- Lebron's Number 13 Nov 2009
  Lebron James tells fans he will likely ditch the number 23 next year. CNBC's Darren Rovell has the story.
- The Bullet-Proof Idea? 13 Nov 2009
  Discussing bullet-proof sports equipment, with Rob Vito, Unequal Technologies president and CNBC's Darren Rovell.
- Celtics Courting Fans 11 Nov 2009
  The Boston Celtics are working hard to keep fans, with CNBC's Darren Rovell and Celtics president Rich Gotham.

LATEST FROM OUR BLOGS

» More

- Portfolio Prep for Next Week: 'Don't Get Crazy'

MORE HEADLINES

» Markets | Economy | Companies

- Dubai World Refused Distressed-Asset Sale: Report

CNBC ON DIGG

Hester Is A Flash In The Can

Published: Wednesday, 18 Mar 2009 | 12:33 PM ET

Text Size

By: Darren Rovell
Sports Business Reporter

Red Bull
Devin Hester
We've written about the marketability of Chicago Bears kick returner Devin Hester many times before.

His flash returning kicks earned him some nice marketing deals with Electronic Arts [ERTS Loading... () ] and Under Armour [UA Loading... () ] , but he has become a more debatable commodity of late. After two seasons of returning 11 kicks for touchdowns, Hester was replaced as the go-to-guy halfway through last season. He was used more as a receiver and hauled down an impressive 51 catches for the team last year.

In a rough sponsorship environment, Hester apparently is still plenty marketable.

Hester's next deal is with Red Bull, which seems like its starting to sign more traditional athletes. During Super Bowl week, the energy drink company announced they signed New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush.

We're told that Hester will be making personal appearances at non-traditional events that Red Bull sponsors, including the BC One, an international breakdance competition that Red Bull created.

According to Beverage Spectrum magazine, Red Bull did $360 million worth of business in 2008. Its nearest competitor is Monster, which pulled in $143 million in sales.

As of Jan. 21, Hester ranked No. 19 in NFL jersey sales, according to sales on NFLShop.com. That ranked him ahead of Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss.

Questions? Comments?

Topics:Consumers | Marketing | Advertising | Sports

Companies:Under Armour Inc | Electronic Arts Inc