Former National Basketball Association player John Amaechi has become one of the first openly gay pro athlete to sign a major, mainstream endorsement deal.
Culver City-based HeadBlade Inc., creators of a popular head-shaving razor, signed Amaechi to a multiyear deal. Financial terms were undisclosed.
“Head shaving is supported by many small niche demographics, but combined you have a huge demographic,” said Todd Greene, Headblade’s chief executive. “John fits three major demographics because he is a basketball player, black and gay.”
Greene approached Amaechi about endorsing his product five years ago when he was active in the NBA.
“He was one of the most articulate players in the NBA, but he just didn’t feel like endorsing products at that time,” Greene said.
Amaechi became the first NBA player to acknowledge his homosexuality with the release of his memoir, “Man in the Middle,” in February. The book is on the New York Times best-seller list. His hiring as a spokesman could portend a breakthrough, as concern about endorsement deals is one reason some athletes stay in the closet during their careers.
“I think it’s fantastic that HeadBlade has approached me to endorse the brand,” said Amaechi in a statement.
Amaechi grew up in England and played over five seasons for Cleveland, Orlando and Utah. He retired in 2004.
For now, however, Amaechi’s endorsement power is seen more as a basketball player and a British citizen. Amaechi is well known throughout his native country, where he is involved in philanthropic activities and has set up numerous youth basketball centers.
“We’re using him mainly in basketball magazines right now. He will be more prominent when we go to the U.K.,” said Greene.
The company has its products carried in 20,000 stores in the U.S. and has annual revenues of less than $10 million. Its products are currently carried in boutiques in Europe, but Green expects to expand its distribution to 5,000 locations in the United Kingdom.
Sumo Surging
The Santa Monica-based California Sumo Association is preparing for its largest event yet when it hosts the seventh U.S. Sumo Open at the L.A. Sports Arena on April 7. Organizers expect at least 5,000 people to attend this year’s event, nearly double last year’s attendance.
The event has outgrown its previous four venues and moved to the 13,500-seat arena this year. It has previously been held at the UCLA Wooden Center, a tennis club in Manhattan Beach, the New Otani Hotel and most recently, at the L.A. Convention Center.
“The Convention Center booked an event with Donald Trump on the same day as our event last year and there was no parking for us and we’ve outgrown their largest room,” said Andrew Freund. “There was no choice but to go to a stadium-style venue with parking.”
Freund, who founded the California Sumo Association 10 years ago, hopes that the seventh annual event will be profitable for the first time since inception. The organization is using Ticketmaster and the Sports Arena box office to sell tickets to this year’s event, and hopes that the added support will stabilize the event and bring more awareness of the sport.
Freund is working to bring on corporate sponsors to help defray costs. Currently, TV Japan, Sapporo Beer and Hakutsuru Sake all contribute in various amounts, but Freund would like to see a mainstream American company lend support.
“The first tendency was to find Japanese support, but our focus has shifted to get more American sponsors,” said Freund. Freund cites the 2,000-year-old Japanese sport’s diverse audience, in terms of age and ethnicity, as a selling point for sponsors.
The April 7 event will feature some of the sport’s top competitors including Byamabajav Ulambayar, a 340-pound Mongolian who won the heavyweight gold medal in the World Sumo Championships in Osaka, Japan last October.
Home Run or Foul?
DirecTV Group Inc.’s recently signed seven-year deal with Major League Baseball for the exclusive rights to broadcast out-of-market games, represents a major coup for the El Segundo satellite broadcaster.
Not everyone is as keen on the deal as DirecTV exec and shareholders, however. The deal cuts out other satellite television providers and cable operators nationwide.
“This decision represents the height of disrespect and disregard for loyal baseball fans,” said Robert D. Jacobson, president and chief executive for In Demand Networks in a statement. Of course, Jacobson has a vested interest. In Demand is the programming partner responsible for negotiating content rights with Major League Baseball on behalf of cable providers including Time Warner Cable.
Staff reporter David Nusbaum can be reached at (323) 549-5225, ext. 236, or at
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