Ovechkin going after Sharapova :)

By JEFF Z. KLEIN, NY Times, Nov. 2, 2009:

Alex Ovechkin has signed with IMG to have the agency handle international marketing and endorsement deals for the superstar forward for the Washington Capitals and Russia. Ovechkin, becomes the first hockey player IMG will represent since the company dropped its hockey department in 2006 as part of a general shift out of representation in team sports.

“I think me and Washington Capitals do a very good job to sign my contract, but to do an endorsement deal I need the best,” Ovechkin told reporters on Monday. “So I think IMG is the best and I want to work with the best group.”

Ovechkin has gone without an agent for the past three years and represented himself in negotiations with the Capitals when he signed a 13-year, $124 million contract extension in January 2008. He said he and his family would continue to handle all contract matters.

IMG, a 40-year-old agency, represents athletes, artists and entertainment and media stars and has prominent clients in just about every major sport, including tennis, where it represents Maria Sharapova. Ovechkin cited that relationship in discussing why he chose IMG.

Sharapova, he said, “is a great athlete, and I would like to work with that group.”

The company also handles endorsements for Peyton and Eli Manning, LaDainian Tomlinson in football as well as stars in individual sports like tennis, golf and Formula 1 racing.

DC Sports Bog, Nov. 2 ,2009, "IMG exec calls Ovechkin a "global icon":

"Look, Alex came to this country four years ago and spoke very little English, and he's clearly dedicating himself to becoming more and more proficient at it," Abrutyn said. "That's a part of what makes him who he is. Brand marketers can use that to their advantage in some respects, and as he gets more and more proficient, even more so....Brand marketers can be very creative at turning something like this into a positive. His commitment to learning the language is another reason he's going to be successful in his off-ice endeavors...."

"From a marketing standpoint, we believe in aligning ourselves with global superstars, and Alex is certainly one of them. So this is as much about Alex's ability as a marketer and a product mover as it is a hockey player."

Not too many other global superstars operating in the D.C. sports landscape at the moment.

TWEET:

 TWEET THIS: http://tinyurl.com/ovetjkin