The benefit of not having American endorsement.

[Reggaedoc]

Some have argued that Bolt, had he an endorsement contract with Nike, or any other American corp, would be a much wealthier men today, and quite frankly, that might well be true. To counter that aguement, I would ask, "Would he have been able to criticize, in a frank, and honset manner, the utterances of the shameless hate mongering, Carl Lewis?". The answer to that would be a clear "NO", unless he wanted to commit economic suicide.

American-endorsed athletes, especially black athletes, have become slaves to corporations which endorse them, to the point where they remain mostly hapless observers in the face of all manner of attacks, verbally, and physically, sometimes by police officers and neighbourhood volunteer watchmen, against their own people.

In my opinion, Bolt's ability to be frank, and honest about Carl-Lewis-the-hater, is refreshing, and may well be a result of the absence of the ususal encumberance that our American brothers and sisters face when they are endorsed by the American enslavers, including Nike. Maybe not being endorsed by them is be a blessing in disguise.
Only one man's opinion.

[Islandman]

I totally agree Reggaedoc. I have had the same thoughts. Tiger and Jordan are the poster boys for this.

[Hortical]

Madison Ave nuh waan an outspoken negro. Once yuh become a major endorser, dem tek whey yuh balls and place dem in a vault and yuh become an acceptable non-threatening negro. The scariest image in America is an angry male negro.

[Mosiah]

Couldn't agree more! HL not able to understand this.

[Assasin]

Big up to the bigman he has a contract and endorsement that suits his lifestyle. If he was greedy he would have left out Puma longtime. He just want a decent amount and a decent life. I hope his management continue to do it for him.

Respect to the bigman and his team. One difference I would make and that is "most of the big American companies".

[Mosiah]

I remember when Usain started to get big. Many of us here wanted him to drop his original sponsors and go American. Well, thank God he didn't.

Yes, Digicel nuh big like AT&T, but so what!?!?

The world nuh look to the USA again! Chuss mi pon dat!!!!

[Don1]

He does have endorsement from US companies.. Gatorade & Visa included. They may not use him in US campaigns much because track is a niche sport in that country and Americans are notoriously insular and limited in their outlook... a black Jamaican will never have true mass commercial appeal in Babylon

Here's an opinion I agree with regarding the reaction to his Lewis bashing... based on Bolt's unique personality, performance, charisma and the fact that most regard Lewis as an a$$hole anyway even as they respect his achievements



US Endorsement Deals for Usain Bolt Likely to Continue Even After Ripping Carl Lewis

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Published by stonecutter | August 10, 2012 - 1 day 9 hours ago





After successfully defending both the 100 and 200-meter races in the London Olympics and having the world’s attention, Usain Bolt took the opportunity to rip Carl Lewis. ‘I have no respect for him’, the Jamaican said of Lewis.

Bolt’s comment was made in response to Lewis’ insinuations that something must be done to investigate the real reason behind Jamaica’s dominance in the field. Lewis has intimated that no team has ever dominated the sport the way the small nation is doing now and perhaps some athletes are into doping. This got into Bolt’s nerves and thus the harsh comments.

With the way Bolt has blasted an American Olympic legend, many predict that his endorsement deals with US brands will drastically drop. His image as an ambassador for the sport will forever be tainted. His response to questions in the interview room will dim all the brilliance he displayed in the track. Or is it?

Truth be told, Bolt is one character that loves to talk and backs it up in the field. The way he predicts victories and showboats while everyone around him are pouring it all makes all his achievements even more surprising.

Truth be told, Bolt’s criticism did not come out of nowhere. They were provoked by comments made by another legend, perhaps borne of jealousy and aimed at tarnishing his image long before he is even proven guilty of anything. He was merely defending himself, and boy, he did it really well----both in the interview room and in the field.

Truth be told, as long as Usain Bolt continues with his winning ways, the endorsement deals will continue to pour in. The public wants to see him as a speed icon, not as a model for handling criticism.

As long as he keeps winning, people will forgive him. Maybe his critics won’t. And surely Bolt will eventually lose in his race against father time. But for now, they will have to watch Bolt showboating again and again, index finger on his lips as if to tell them to keep their mouths shut, in yet another victory lap.

http://expertscolumn.com/content/us-...ing-carl-lewis

[Don1]

Bolt has an excellent contract with Puma.... which after London should be improved

The people claiming he doesn't are misinformed

[Assasin]

When he won the first olympics, there would have been many comers then. His contract then is nothing like what it is now, and if he was greedy he could have think twice then.

[HL]

HL also understands that a "humble" calf drinks the most milk.

Often-times [most] progress is made while flowing WITH the direction of the 'river'...as opposed to swimming against it.

Example: Malcolm X vs. Martin L. King.

The way the thing set: "we" own NOTHING of real worth. We still depend on "them" for most of our well being.....

We remain at the stage where tact and not brute force yields the most desirable results.

It's easy for us to sit on the side-lines and support and suggest--the less tactful (aggressive) ways of making progress.

I fully support what Bolt said about Lewis' idiotic rants. Bolt should now move on to other things.

LAST: If push comes to shove, the executives of Adidas, Nike, Puma and any other sponsor-- will have no qualms to form coalition against anyone they want. So Bolt having Puma sponsorship is not immune....