“I definitely think we’re still in control [of the series],” —-Rashard Lewis

This quote comes after the Magic’s game three loss to the Raptors….

Rashard….you better get the fellas to drink some more Powerade…….

As I flipped through the Sentinel this morning, I realized that there was a huge ad on the back page. Sometimes, a car dealership will buy a full-page ad in the back page so I wasn’t expecting much, but when I saw what the ad was for, I was surprised.

That’s because it was a full-page ad for Powerade, and the person featured in the ad was none other than Rashard Lewis. Now, let me start off by saying that I think Lewis is a very good player. The Magic would not be where they are this year without them, and from all the reports I’ve seen, he seems like a genuinely nice guy too.

Having said that, I think Lewis is extremely overpaid. I am not blaming him for that at all though, hey if somebody wants to give me 118 million dollars I’ll take it. I blame the Magic for making that decision.

The thing is, I can’t understand why a major company, like Powerade, would pay Lewis to be a spokesperson for their product, and why they would feature him in a full-page ad. Like I said, Lewis is a good player, but is he really worthy of a full-page ad, and endoresement deal with Powerade?

Endorsement deals should be reserved for athletes who can actually help sell a product. When was the last time you heard anyone say, “Hey I want to go to the game to see Rashard Lewis play.” Or how about, “Hey, I’m going to drink Powerade because Rashard Lewis drinks Powerade.” I just don’t see that happening.

Having worked for an agent, I know how important they can be to an athlete’s success, especially in terms of how they are marketed. That’s where I think the credit should go in this situation. Lewis’s agent Tony Dutt, not only got Lewis a max contract, he now has gotten him a Powerade endorsement deal as well.

While he’s no Tom O’Connell (my old boss), he has definitely proven that he can make his clients some money.