The Rebirth of Richard Sherman
Richard Sherman in the past few
weeks has impacted the NFL media world like no defensive player before him.
Sherman was relatively unknown until his late game heroics and postgame
theatrics following his team’s birth into the Super Bowl. Sherman became a
pillar of national attention, and the social media world, following his game
saving play which lifted his Seattle Seahawks into the Super Bowl. Sherman deflected
a pass in the end zone intended for 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree. The deflection
ultimately ended up being intercepted. With 22 seconds on the game clock the
interception would serve as the deciding play in a great NFC Championship game
between the Seahawks and 49ers. Following the play, Sherman quickly mocked
Michael Crabtree, as well as 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, creating a
choke symbol with his hands. The attention suddenly shifted from the Seahawks
to Richard Sherman as he went on a postgame rant for the ages. In an interview
with sideline reporter Erin Andrews, he called Crabtree “mediocre” and “sorry”,
and proclaimed himself the “best cornerback in the NFL” (Sherman). Only true
football fans were familiar with Richard Sherman before his postgame comments
and epic interview with Erin Andrews. Interestingly enough, Sherman has always
been quick to voice has opinion, and this episode isn't the first time he has “trash
talked” or ruffled another players feathers. In the past, he has battled Skip
Bayless on “ESPN First Take”, the 25-year old seems to have a marketing game plan,
and it is beginning to all come together for him.
In truth, Richard Sherman is a marketing
genius, and his decision to go crazy on national television has created more
positives the negatives. Sherman already has inked deals with Nike, the telecom
company CenturyLink, and Beats By Dre (Boarhan). This seems to just be the
beginning as Sherman’s marketing agent Jamie Fritz says that “Beverage and
quick-service restaurant brand marketers are particularly interested for both
traditional and digital ad campaigns” (McCarthy). Sherman’s Beats By Dre
commercial was released the same day as his postgame interview. Although it may
seem as coincidence to most, I then felt the rant was planned and an intelligent
marketing move. AdAge Media News recently released an
article explaining 10 reasons why marketers may take a chance on Sherman and
his mouth. The article explains in-depth
why Sherman is the biggest marketing star going in to Super Bowl XLVII. The
article calls him a marketing genius who is media savvy and will be able to
sell product. He has already been in a number of commercials, “and he ranks as
the only defensive player among the top-10 best-selling jerseys” (McCarthy).
With the Super Bowl on Sunday, Sherman’s rant was timely. For the last few
weeks he has been able to take attention away from Peyton Manning, and focus it
on himself.
Another remarkable thing he has
been able to do is slowly rebirth himself as the hero and no longer the
villain. Sherman uses a great back story and his faithful twitter followers to
help assemble supporters. Within four days of his tirade his favorability on
social media has risen exponentially and he has become a household name outside
of Seattle (Herrick). A majority
of the major media outlets have helped with Sherman’s rebirth, and if he can
bring a championship to Seattle that number will undoubtedly rise. The Super
Bowl has now become Peyton Manning and the NFL’s top offense versus Richard
Sherman and the top defense in the league. Manning is a five-time MVP, but
Sherman’s recent actions have outshined Manning and took away most of his
spotlight leading up to the big game.
This year’s Super Bowl is expected
to break TV viewership records. Brad Adgate of Forbes believes it has the
potential to do so for three major reasons. The first reason is ratings. During
the postseason, NFL viewing ratings have increased. Nine of the previous ten
games have had over 30 million viewers, and “conference championship games
exceeded 50 million” (Adgate). The second reason is the match-up. These two teams were preseason favorites at
the beginning of the year. The Broncos have set offensive records this year and
everyone is excited to see the legacy Peyton Manning will ultimately leave. On the
other side you have the league’s best defense, and NFC preseason pick led by
Richard Sherman, the same Sherman, who proclaimed himself the best cornerback
in the league, and has backed up all of his trash talk up to this point,
garnering national attention along the way. These two Contrasting styles make for great
games especially when it’s two powerhouses on opposite sides of the football. The
last reason is weather. This Super Bowl marks the “first time it has ever been
played outside in cold weather” (Adgate). The cold weather may serve as an
advantage to the defensive-minded Seahawks and if that, is the case we will see
the completion of Sherman’s rebirth. Sherman’s presence in this game is sure to
add extra viewers as well as intrigue. The world wants to see how his story will
end.
Works Cited
1.) CenturyLinkVoice, and Brad Adgate. "Advertisers Rejoice!
Super Bowl XLVIII Expected To Break TV Viewership Record." Forbes.
Forbes Magazine, 28 Jan. 2014. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.
2.) Herrick, David. "The Richard Sherman Effect." PRWeek
US. MWW, 31 Jan. 2014. Web. 02 Feb. 2014.
3.) King, Peter, and Richard Sherman. "To Those Who Would
Call Me A Thug Or Worse." (n.d.): n. pag. The MMQB. Sports
Illustrated, 19 Jan. 2014. Web. 2 Feb. 2014.
4.) Mccarthy, Michael. "10 Reasons Why Marketers Might Bet on
Richard Sherman and His Big Mouth." Adage Media News. Beth
Snyder, 23 Jan. 2014. Web. 2 Feb. 2014. <http://adage.com/article/special-report-super-bowl/10-reasons-richard-sherman-a-super-bowl-star/291237/>.
5.) Richard Sherman Beats by Dre Commercial. Dir. John Boarman. Perf. Richard Sherman. Tireball.
Tireball Sports Media, 26 Jan. 2014. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.
Ike great post! Really enjoyed reading this and agreed with you on almost everything. I really liked how you talked about Richard Sherman’s rise to fame. As a football fan I knew who he was but after his rant against the San Francisco 49ers he became a known player to my family who I would consider to be decent football fans. For example my sister had no idea who Richard Sherman was but after his postgame interview with Erin Andrews she quickly figured out who this smack talker was for the Seattle Seahawks. It not only left us laughing but it made me realize the confidence the Seahawks had. I quickly picked them to beat Denver in the Super Bowl because of the “swagger” of the Defense lead by Sherman. I always have believed that if you can back up what you say then say what you please.
ReplyDeleteLeading up to the NFC Championship game San Francisco 49ers wide receiver, Michael Crabtree had been trash talking about Richard Sherman via Twitter. Tweeting out that Sherman was just average, mediocre, and to look at the film because “it don’t lie”. After knowing this I completely understand why Sherman went off in that interview about Crabtree. I would have honestly done the same thing he did. Sherman beat him fair and square and had the right to say whatever he wanted to after hearing for a week about his mediocre talents.
Was this an intentional speech to get media recognition like you mentioned? In my opinion no it wasn’t. The reason I say this is because you have to take in to account the emotions of the game. Seconds before he got pulled over for his interview by Andrews, Sherman made the key play of the game which lead to an interception and a Seattle win. Therefore his emotions must have been running high after making a key play to clinch your teams Super Bowl ticket. I think what Sherman said was strictly emotions and he represented the way the Seahawks defense or as they call it “the legion of boom” likes to play. That being cocky, arrogant, and to have swagger while backing it up on the playing field.
One thing you didn’t mention in your post was all the negativity that came with his rant. This turned out to be not only something that got his name recognized but it became a negative thing for him as well. All throughout the week on sports shows on ESPN and local networks analyst’s debated and discussed his rant. On social media sites it turned into a thing about race as people were posting racist comments about Sherman. It gave the NFL an image they didn’t want which was of a thug shouted and talking trash on live television.
Whether or not Sherman’s rant was a negative thing he for sure got his name recognized. Sherman later apologized for his rant and regretted saying what he did. Overall I enjoyed reading your post and think that most if not all football fans now know who Richard Sherman is.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting blog discussing the so called 'ins' and 'outs' of a man that the US sporting society can't seem to get enough of. I know very little about American football however, I can tell you that for the past week all my sport studies class discussions have been centered on one name, Richard Sherman. I watched Sherman's interview with Erin Anderson on YouTube and decided to look out for this character during yesterday’s game. I agree with both Ike and Brian that Richard Sherman's rant interview has sent his celebrity status to new heights. In relation to the growth of the Richard Sherman brand I don't think he used marketing strategies to excel his name. It still blows my mind of just how powerful this national game can be to both those who play it and those who watch it. Personally from a strictly athletic opinion, I think Richard Sherman’s rant to Crabtree simply illustrates the emotion and the pressures that surround the game. Although I do think the sports media strive to spark any kind of entertainment story other than the actual score. Why? The masculinity in which the game centers itself on provides a platform for the 'winning' athlete to talk out to those inferior to him. Richard Sherman is no different. Yes, Sherman may play off of his celebrity status that he has managed to establish but I don’t think that was his initial plan during the post-game interview with Erin Anderson. Advertisers seek athletes who are so called ‘out of the box’ unique, different and will make a statement. Why? It sticks. I agree to some extent with Ike, that Richard Sherman is a great marketing tool but I think it is the advertisers who buy into his ‘arrogant’ appeal. For example; The Dr.Dre Beat’s commercial with Richard Sherman. The commercial centers on the slogan ‘hear what you want’. The advertisers’ goal is to find a celebrity/athlete who holds the same opinion. Richard Sherman fits that mold.
ReplyDeleteThe 13/14 football season ended sour last night. As mentioned before, I know very little about the game but I think it was apparent to everyone in the world that the Seattle Seahawks were breezing 10 minutes into the first quarter of the game. According to Brad Adgate, Five of the last six Super Bowls have been decided by a touchdown or less. A close game keeps football fans tuned in (along with ads) and that increases ratings. (Forbes Magazine 2014) From a media perspective I think the entertainment value of the Super Bowl keeps fans tuned in. Think about if the half-time show was cut from the Super Bowl. Would viewers remain tuned in for the full game? What if the commercials weren’t premiered on Super Bowl night? These extrinsic factors play a significant role in maintaining the TV ratings for the Super Bowl. According to Ad Age, 2014 Fox sports averaged around $4 million for 30 seconds worth of ad time during the game. This illustrates the commercial revenue that the main stream Super Bowl networks make every year. The discussion about Richard Sherman will continue, strategic questions will be asked by media pundits, marketing and advertisers will compete once again BUT we'll have to wait another 364 days until it stages. We’ve already started talking and Richard Sherman has too.
Citations:
CenturyLinkVoice, and Brad Adgate. "Advertisers Rejoice! Super Bowl XLVIII Expected To Break TV Viewership Record." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 28 Jan 2014. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.
Richard Sherman Beats by Dre Commercial. Dir. John Boarman. Perf. Richard Sherman. Tireball. Tireball Sports Media, 26 Jan. 2014. Web. 01 Feb. 2014
"Super Bowl Ad Chart: Who's Buying What in Super Bowl 2014." AdAge.com 24 Jan. 2014. Web.
This was a very insightful and interesting blog post, Ike. To be honest, I really did not know who Richard Sherman was until his interview with Erin Andrews showed up all over my Facebook page and in the news. I did not understand why everyone was speaking so negatively about him, but then I watched the interview. People are so quick to jump to conclusions and instead of thinking about the reason behind his rant, people were quick to call him names and call him cocky. I see celebrities freak out all the time and some of them don’t get judged half as much as he was after one interview. I personally don’t think he was being cocky at all, he was being honest and he clearly had a plan. I am not a huge sports fan, and I only caught some of the Super Bowl. But I completely agree with you that Sherman has a marketing strategy that seems to be working quite well for him.
ReplyDeleteAs we all know, the Super Bowl is one of the biggest events of the year, making it a gold mine for advertisers. Not only do tons of people go to the actual Super Bowl, but millions of people tune into it on their televisions. In this day and age people are talking about it over their social media sites as well. What better way is there for companies to advertise their products? Richard Sherman is a walking advertisement, one that works. Like you mentioned in your blog, Sherman is media savvy and has the ability to sell products. According to the article by Adgate, the popularity of Peyton Manning should help ratings because he is well known and endorses many products, but I agree with you that Sherman did a good job at turning the attention towards himself. I can understand why marketers would want to take a chance on him and have him sell their products. I happened to come across an article written by Taylor Soper of geekwire.com titled, “Good timing: Richard Sherman’s post-game trash-talk was a blessing for Beats by Dre.” I think this is a good article to refer to because it just proves your point about how Sherman had a goal in mind. The Beats by Dre promo was published hours before Sunday’s game, the game where the Seahawks beat the 49ers and Sherman went off (Soper). The promo showed Sherman using Beats by Dre to tune out reporters asking him numerous questions about his trash-talking and being called a thug. Beats also took to their Twitter page and tweeted, “One win away from World Champions. The critics have officially been silenced. Congrats to @RSherman_25!” This was a very smart marketing strategy on their part. Because there was more talk about Sherman than the actual game that landed the Seahawks a spot in the Super Bowl, Beats by Dre didn’t hesitate to roll with that. It really was impeccable timing for advertisers, and I think Richard Sherman is a marketing genius.
Soper, Taylor. "Good Timing: Richard Sherman’s Post-game Trash-talk Was a Blessing for Beats by Dre." GeekWire. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
CenturyLinkVoice, and Brad Adgate. "Advertisers Rejoice! Super Bowl XLVIII Expected To Break TV Viewership Record." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 28 Jan. 2014. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.
I really enjoyed your post. It a relevant story and you made some great points. I think that what Sherman did was incredibly smart. In his interview he never made any explicit comments on the air any tons of people took that fact that he was loud and excited (for the fact that his team just made it to the super bowl) as him being inappropriate and out of line. All this did was spark mass publicity for him and at the end of the day only positive outcomes from it. People were saying that he was being a "thug" in the interview and that this is an accurate interpretation of his character, when realistically he is a well-spoken and educated man. This whole event was the opportunity for people of social media to take something that had the ability to be looked at in an exaggerated perspective in efforts to bash Sherman which ultimately backfired and gave him positive publicity. I bet many people who aren't sports fans and had prior knowledge of who Richard Sherman was and now do. That goes to show how this only expanded his popularity. As far as his interview went with Skip Bayless I think that he was a little out of line with his responses and should have been more professional even though Skip did provoke him. I also think that his trash talking after many NFL games and his recent comments about Darrelle Revis were all uncalled for and not justifiable. But, looking back at his game against the 49ers I believe he did nothing wrong. The comments he made were an amazing marketing tactic for him which I believe he had zero intent on doing prior to that interview. In the end I believe he didn't have the intentions to make this interview blow up as much as it did or create the positive self-marketing results that it did, but Sherman is taking full advantage of this outcome and I don’t blame him for doing so.
ReplyDeleteIke you made a lot of great points in your Blog. Leading up to the Super Bowl I had heard a lot about Richard Sherman and how a lot of people were really upset with the way he had acted after the NFC Championship game. After reading your blog, I am realizing how smart he actually can be considered to be. The way he was talking leading up to the Super Bowl and after the NFC Championship game had a lot of people talking about how bad it was and how uneducated he sounded, and in the back of my head I kept thinking about the fact that he went to Stanford, and he must be an intelligent guy. Know even I am considering all of his talk to be an act and a fantastic marketing tool.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the game was not as amazing as many people were expecting, I honestly think Richard Sherman may have kept people in tune with the game and kept people watching to see what he would be doing post-game. Just as Brad Agate wrote in his article, the NFL had it’s strongest season in a while and “it’s television partners had reported an increase of 5% in viewing from 2012” (Agate, 2014). So not only were people watching just for Sherman, but football in general was getting more views this year.
As Ike was saying, Sherman has also had a huge reach and effect on social media for the past couple of weeks. Many people are using “second screens” (Shih, 2012) as they watch TV and posting on things like Twitter and Facebook. I follow about 300 people on Twitter and I can say that a HUGE amount were tweeting about Richard Sherman following his interview with Erin Andrews a couple of weeks ago. I think it is an excellent idea for Nielsen to have paired up with Twitter to get the “social TV ratings” (Shih, 2012). Many people may have not even been in front of their own TV watching the game. I know that when I was watching that specific game, I was out at a restaurant with a ton of other people gathered around a couple of TVs. The four TVs in the bar do not really represent the amount of people that were actually watching the game, though, so I think measuring the talk on Twitter is a great idea. As Shih says in his article, the way we watch TV continues to evolve all the time and I think it is important that ratings reflect this. The example of using Richard Sherman and the effect he had on social media is perfect to go along with this article. People are always posting on Twitter along with sporting events so this could be a really helpful way for Nielsen to be more accurate when it comes to their ratings.
Shih, Gary. "Twitter and Nielsen Pair Up to Publish New 'Social' TV Ratings." Reuters 17 Dec. 2012. Web.
"Advertisers Rejoice! Super Bowl Expected to Break TV Viewship Record." Forbes. 28 Jan. 2014. Web.