Spring Break
How badly has A-Rod's marketing value been hurt?
AP
Issue date: 2/12/09 Section: Sports
Alex Rodriguez's image transformed in a three-day span, costing himself millions of dollars in future endorsements.
Marc Ganis, president of the consulting company Sports Corp. Ltd., said Rodriguez will be viewed differently by fans and sponsors as his home-run total climbs from 553 and nears Barry Bonds' mark of 762.
The A-Rod brand has been tainted.
"He is going to have a cloud over him, particularly as he approaches the home run record, where before this revelation, he was considered the anti-Bonds, the guy who was going to get the greatest record in all of sports back into the hands of a clean athlete," Ganis said Tuesday. "He will always have this postscript. Sponsors don't like postscripts."
Baseball's highest-paid and perhaps most-talented player, Rodriguez said Monday that he used banned drugs from 2001-2003 while playing for Texas. The admission came two days after Sports Illustrated reported that his name was among 104 players on a list seized by federal agents five years ago.
That list was compiled from baseball's anonymous 2003 survey - the samples and document remain under court seal as the union's motion seeking their return works through the federal judiciary.
"Our program, which was designed to be confidential, if it turns out not to be, that's something that causes concern," union head Donald Fehr said.
Former union head Marvin Miller called for an investigation of federal prosecutors to help determine whether there was a government leak of the test results.
"I think the first question ought to be: 104 names all testing positive, but you leak only A-Rod's. Why is that?" Miller said.
The fate of "the list" will be determined next by 11 appeals court judges in California.
If prosecutors are allowed to use the list and bring players before grand juries and trial courts, additional stars might be forced to admit they used steroids.
"It's definitely not fair to just pinpoint one guy," Boston's Kevin Youkilis said. "I don't know if somebody had it in for him. I don't know what because it seems like just to take one name out of that whole group is a little odd to me. If he was named with 10 other players, would that have been fair? I don't know? If they'd have listed all 104?"
Marc Ganis, president of the consulting company Sports Corp. Ltd., said Rodriguez will be viewed differently by fans and sponsors as his home-run total climbs from 553 and nears Barry Bonds' mark of 762.
The A-Rod brand has been tainted.
"He is going to have a cloud over him, particularly as he approaches the home run record, where before this revelation, he was considered the anti-Bonds, the guy who was going to get the greatest record in all of sports back into the hands of a clean athlete," Ganis said Tuesday. "He will always have this postscript. Sponsors don't like postscripts."
Baseball's highest-paid and perhaps most-talented player, Rodriguez said Monday that he used banned drugs from 2001-2003 while playing for Texas. The admission came two days after Sports Illustrated reported that his name was among 104 players on a list seized by federal agents five years ago.
That list was compiled from baseball's anonymous 2003 survey - the samples and document remain under court seal as the union's motion seeking their return works through the federal judiciary.
"Our program, which was designed to be confidential, if it turns out not to be, that's something that causes concern," union head Donald Fehr said.
Former union head Marvin Miller called for an investigation of federal prosecutors to help determine whether there was a government leak of the test results.
"I think the first question ought to be: 104 names all testing positive, but you leak only A-Rod's. Why is that?" Miller said.
The fate of "the list" will be determined next by 11 appeals court judges in California.
If prosecutors are allowed to use the list and bring players before grand juries and trial courts, additional stars might be forced to admit they used steroids.
"It's definitely not fair to just pinpoint one guy," Boston's Kevin Youkilis said. "I don't know if somebody had it in for him. I don't know what because it seems like just to take one name out of that whole group is a little odd to me. If he was named with 10 other players, would that have been fair? I don't know? If they'd have listed all 104?"
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