Read the debate intro and Sports Geek’s argument that major companies should sign Vick as a spokesperson .
Last week, it was reported by Michael Vick’s agent, no less, that Nike and Vick had come to an endorsement agreement though they were not releasing the terms of the deal. Apparently, there are no specific terms to release because there is no agreement! Ha! Whether or not there is a deal is not the issue of this debate. The issue revolves around the credibility of Vick as a spokesperson of a major company. If I am a major advertiser or a major company, I do not want anything to do with Michael Vick. Not a thing!
It has always been said that there is no such thing as bad publicity. This is not one of those times. Vick’s name being associated with any product will bring immediate attention and it may not be all positive. Sports Geek and I had a conversation last Wednesday night about Nike reaching a deal with Vick. Little did we know that the following day, Nike would announce there was no such deal. Society is not far enough removed from the whole scandal as some people, and admittedly these people are in the minority, still harbor strong resentment towards Vick. I will say that Vick appears to have been on his best behavior to this point. Kudos to him for that. However, Vick, after all, has yet to play a regular season road game, so I am not sure we truly know how fans really feel about the return of Vick at the point.
Bleacher Fan states in the intro that Vick’s return has seemingly been a successful return. I dispute that because I am not sure that is an entirely accurate statement at this point. Now, that is not to say that he will not be successful later on down the road. Maybe he will once again be regarded as one of the most electrifying players in the game. Maybe not. But, rushing for seven yards on one carry and going 0-2 in the passing game hardly classifies as successful to me. He has been brought in for a couple of series and has done very little within the confines of the Eagles offense, even with Donavan McNabb out. McNabb may be back this week and that will just limit the opportunities for him to “succeed” even more. Does a company want someone who is essentially a backup at this point to endorse their product?
Overall, there is just too much uncertainty with Vick’s situation. We are not really certain how the public feels about Vick, yet. Also, we are not certain that Vick is going to play like the Vick of old. Chances are that we probably will not find that out this year. From the looks of things, he is not going to get that chance this year in Philadelphia. Major companies want a sure thing, especially in this economy, and they want a credible and successful endorser if they choose to go the celebrity route. Right now, there is no way whatsoever that you can say Michael Vick is a sure thing.
