I’m starting to sound more and more like a bitter 90 year old who longs for “the good ‘ole days.” Today, I miss the Roger Clemens of yester-year.
I miss when Roger Clemens was “Roger Clemens, the pitcher.” He worked a full 162 game season, posted stats that 10 year boys idolized, and walked with the swagger of a super-hero. Since this is SmallBusinessBranding.com, I’ll say that Rogers’ brand value has, during his heyday, experienced historical highs. Damn, that guy WAS awesome!
Now, it seems that his brand value has been left to losses, while the value of his monetary worth and egotistical excellence has taken over his interests. On Sunday, with a dramatic announcement from the owner’s box at Yankee Stadium during the seventh-inning stretch, Clemens revealed that he plans to pitch in pinstripes this season… For a modest salary of $28,000,022—the last two digits matching his uniform number (How cute!).
Get this… If Clemens throws the same amount of pitches this season, as he did in 2006 with the Astros, he’ll make roughly $8,888 per pitch! He can strike out a batter in 3 pitches, which MIGHT take a minute and a half to accomplish, and eclipse the yearly income of the average American. There’s no reason for Clemens to accept such an extravagant payday! He’s had a storied career that has spanned 3 decades, and I wonder why he can’t simply be compensated by a modest salary and the compliment of being able to help baseball’s grandest franchise reach the post season for the 642nd time. This guy, who I used to worship as a kid, no longer seems to care as much about the game as he does the gate he draws. As a baseball purist, I feel that I can no longer support this product of greed anymore. That’s right, Roger Clemens is no longer a player, he’s a “product.”
And if that’s not enough to shock you, you’ll be amazed to know that Roger will, more than likely, be a part-time player. Yeah, that’s right… Roger is above the idea of having to travel with the team to play road games, and he’ll get to stay back home and watch the club on television while lounging in his diamond studded Lazy Boy. If I was his teammate, I’d have a hard time respecting this sort of behavior that ignores the idea of baseball being a team sport.
This baseball playe… I mean businessman, can not only throw a baseball 100 mph, but he also has the marketing sophistication to appreciate the art of package design. Instead of simply signing the dotted-line, behind closed doors, agreeing to play with the team another year, Clemens decided to hijack the public address system during the 7th inning to personally announce to the fans that he was returning to the game with the intentions of saving the world (The Yankees). The ego involved in making such an extravagant announcement is extravagant in itself.
Roger Clemens’ brand is out of control. His product is over-priced, over-valued, and under-utilized… These three elements amount to a brand that will forever be tarnished. Ya gotta give it to him though… He’s done a spectacular job of marketing himself in THIS MOMENT; but his long-term value is sure to plummet because of the greed he’s exhibited during the final years of his career.
The Bitch Is Back
Welcome Back To The AL, You Fat Egomaniac
Ignorance has its privileges
Wishing you continued success…
bizMAVERICK
Brad Williamson
