Entertainment
Skechers and Los Angeles Sparks star Rickea Jackson are elevating the women’s game – Andscape
Skechers has announced a 3rd colorway of the SKX Nexus basketball shoe with support from Los Angeles Sparks standout rookie Rickei Jackson. The SKX Nexus is Sketchers’ fourth basketball shoe because it hit the scene last yr.
The 2024 WNBA All-Rookie forward is one among the few players to decide on an organization latest to women’s basketball and the game itself. Recently, Sydney Colson defended the Las Vegas Aces signed a contract with Creative Control as the first signature athlete, bringing the total variety of energetic WNBA players with a shoe contract to seven.
“More players have more opportunities if it’s proactive by design or if a decision is made to do something different,” said Lindsay Kagawa Colas, executive vice chairman of talent at Wasserman’s sports marketing and talent management firm. “Sometimes this also includes companies that have not traditionally had a presence in the market, and in these deals athletes have the opportunity to do different things and shape the deal the way they want.”
Skechers
The marketing of signature sneakers, gamer sneakers, merchandise and endorsements has modified significantly since the October 1995 release of Nike Air Swoopes, the first signature shoe awarded to a WNBA player, 4-time WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes.
“Many WNBA players have dedicated fan bases, not just those that get a lot of coverage,” said award-winning writer and sports journalist Lyndsey D’Arcangelo. “Sydney Colson, who buys sneakers, is a perfect example of this. She is not a top player, but she has her supporters and fan base. There are other ways to convince gamers who aren’t Nike fans to support your product, which gives brands a chance to get creative.”
For the first 20 years, women’s basketball shoe offerings were limited to major brands comparable to Puma, Fila, Nike and Adidas. Skechers has now taken an interest in basketball and hopes to provide a WNBA player a signature shoe in the future.
“When you get into basketball, it’s bi-gender,” said Greg Smith, Skechers vice chairman of product development and merchandising. “It took us some time to find the right player. Rickea is an amazing player, a great brand ambassador and a partner worth working with. Our first year, we wanted to get some competition (both NBA and WNBA players).”
In addition to Jackson, the Sketchers basketball team includes Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle and LA Clippers guard Terance Mann.
Smith said that when choosing a WNBA player, the company needed someone who can be an extended-term player in the league. The company also desired to partner with an organization near Skechers’ headquarters in Manhattan Beach, California, and was willing to take a risk on an organization that was latest to the market.
“You could meet her and she wants to contribute to the product and the process,” Smith said. “She was perfect for us. There are a number of great options in the WNBA, but we just felt like she was the best fit for us.
IN Skechers first announcementJackson said: “I’m thrilled to be the first WNBA player to team up with Skechers. Although Skechers is a brand new player in the basketball world, its commitment to alignment, support and energetic collaboration with athletes is clear. The comfort and design of their shoes are really impressive. I like training in these shoes and cannot wait to see what we are able to achieve together.”
Kagawa Colas believes that the coronavirus pandemic has increased WNBA players’ participation in sneaker deals. According to National Statistical Officeretail stores were the biggest hit in 2020, but the pause allowed people to attach in latest ways.
“While some companies were pressing pause, others were simply exploring,” Kagawa Colas said. “For some it was a break, but for others it was the launching pad for much of what we see today. People wanted to speculate in things they were connected to, people desired to know who they were and what they cared about. People will soon discover that they’ve a lot in common with these players.
This disruption felt around the world has also contributed to the increase in social media use. Social media is a way for fans to attach with players and for agents to point out sneaker decision-makers how much fan interest their clients have.
Skechers
“The tools we have today that prove that female athletes get the most bang for their buck, tools like numbers, metrics and social media audience monitoring, prove that the WNBA is a great business,” Kagawa Colas said.
Global sports and entertainment agency Octagon represents the majority of name offerings for Washington Mystics players Shakira Austin, Ariel Atkins and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough. There is nearly at all times a component of social media when negotiating contracts. Before concluding a contract, the agency determines what the content will appear like on its client’s channel and whether it can be compatible with it.
“The hardest thing lately has probably been around budget,” said Jianni Smith, Octagon marketing and communications manager. “There is still a disconnect between what a brand is willing to spend and what it should actually spend on a player. There’s definitely some negotiation going on, but by the time brands come to you, it’s usually already aligned with our customers’ interests.”
Since the league’s inception, agents have been in a position to include viewer numbers and rankings when presenting to their clients. Even with record growth WNBA viewership this yr continues to be half the battle. According to Kagawa Colas, a player’s popularity on social media is a very important factor influencing the increase in the variety of contracts for WNBA athletes.
“Women are often put in a position where they have to prove it before they invest, whereas men (for) people will be investing all day long,” Kagawa Colas said. “They always have to prove it when it comes to seeing if something will sell for a woman.”
Now that brands have begun marketing in women’s basketball, additional steps are needed to make sure athletes have longevity with their products. This includes ensuring product availability and availability, opening up opportunities to more players, and addressing issues that players care about.
Sketchers is currently focused on the WNBA, but in addition plans to play in a women’s college basketball league. Since the brand doesn’t have the rights to school or university apparel, this creates little hurdle in recruiting college athletes, while there are no restrictions on WNBA players signed with the company.
“We plan to continue to expand in the WNBA with more players and grow our business,” Smith said. “We can have a brand new shoe with more of Rickea’s insights, and we expect her perspective will help us create something for everybody. Rickea shouldn’t be our end, she is simply the starting. As you progress, you may find a way to search for more players with us.”
Entertainment
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend Forced to Block Comments After Backlash to JD Vance’s Criticism
Television personality Chrissy Teigen, 38, and R&B singer John Legend, 45, have apparently backed down after publicly endorsing Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris within the 2024 presidential race against former President Donald Trump.
The celebrity couple played a game of “Vote or Veto” in a video posted to their Instagram pages.
In the clip, Chrissy and John showed support for Democratic policies on abortion rights, free school meals and the $6,000 child tax credit.
“Ok, today we had some fun voting or vetoing @KamalaHarris and Trump’s policies – because let’s be real, some things are just not negotiable,” the 2 wrote in a joint Instagram post.
The caption continued: “But we also talked about what really matters – like voting to protect the child tax credits that support so many families, and vetoing dangerous ideas like a nationwide abortion ban. This is a personal matter for us and it should be for you too.”
Although Teigen and Legend shared their political beliefs with their combined 58 million followers, people were unable to respond to the “Vote or Veto” post because comments were disabled.
The couple’s decision to prevent other Instagram users from commenting on their support of Harris got here after Legend faced backlash recent meeting with Zeteo media organization.
On October 9, Zeteo published an interview with the EGOT winner by which he spoke with progressive political commentator Mehdi Hasan about politics, including controversial remarks made by Trump’s running mate, Ohio senator J.D. Vance.
“In 2021, a clip surfaced of Vance criticizing Kamala Harris for not having children of her own. Many people were outraged by this,” Hasan said.
Hasan then mentioned that John and Chrissy had a toddler via surrogate and lost the kid due to pregnancy complications, and then asked, “What was your loved ones’s response while you heard a person running for vp speak about people without children like that? “
Legend replied, “I just don’t understand the disdain he has for people without children. It just doesn’t make sense. … We don’t want the government dictating when we have children and how many children we can have.”
Parts of the interview were posted on Instagram, including Legend’s response to Vance’s criticism of Americans Without Children, which drew each positive and negative responses.
“John, hang on to your piano and your super-intelligent supermodel wife,” one person commented. Someone else wrote: “John, you can’t be serious about this.”
Another comment read: “Why are we interested in your opinion about the presidential candidates? NO. We like your music… and obviously I still like your music, but I don’t like your views.”
A fourth person stated: “We don’t care what HOLLYWOOD THINKS. PERIOD!”
In turn, a supporter of Legend commented: “It’s amazing to me how a man standing up for women affects so many people.”
Legend and his wife have long been supporters of Harris, including after winning the 2016 Senate election because the second Black woman and first South Asian American senator.
The “All of Me” singer’s support also included a performance on the 2024 festival Democratic National Convention August 21. He was joined by legendary drummer Sheila E. on the United Center stage in Chicago to perform a rendition of Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy.”
During the DNC, “CBS Mornings” host Tony Dokoupil spoke The 12-time Grammy winner about his support for Harris and why he’s speaking out on political issues as a star.
“Politics affects all our lives and we are all citizens. We all have a stake in what is happening in this country. We pay taxes here. Our children grow up here and go to schools,” Legend explained.
I’m proud to support @KamalaHarrisCalifornia’s next U.S. senator! https://t.co/85Cas9nWTF
— John Legend (@johnlegend) October 27, 2016
Regarding supporting Harris’ White House bid, he added: “She’s qualified to be president soon, and she also has the right character traits that I think make a great president, which means she cares about people’s lives, she wants The government worked for the people and improved their lives.”
Legend and Teigen celebrated their eleventh wedding anniversary last month after years of dating and met in 2006 while filming “Stereo” music video.
Teigen gave birth to their first daughter, Luna Simone, in April 2016, followed by their first son, Miles Theodore, in May 2018. Their second daughter, Esti Maxine, was born in January 2023. Their second son, named Wren Alexander, arrived in June 2023 via surrogate mother.
In September 2020, Teigen revealed that she lost her baby across the twentieth week of her pregnancy. She he wrote on Instagram“For some reason we began calling this little guy in my belly Jack. That’s why he’ll at all times be Jack to us.”
It’s value noting that despite reports of Teigen’s miscarriage, she stated to The Hollywood Reporter interview“Let’s just call it what it’s: it was an abortion. An abortion that was supposed to save the lifetime of a toddler who had absolutely no probability.
Entertainment
Hulk Hogan Refuses to Name Kamala Harris in Interview After Confusion Over ‘Body Slam’ Threat
Hulk Hogan is giving Democrats no peace as he continues to support his buddy Donald Trump’s victory in the upcoming presidential election.
However, it appears the previous WWE star is being careful about what she says about presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris after she faced backlash for threatening her.
During a Wednesday interview on Fox News’ “Primetime with Jesse Watters,” Hogan recounted his early days with Trump, discussing “what American men are made of,” but later in the interview he was asked if he believed Harris’ theory of going out for drinks with the host in public ” “The Late Show” by Stephen Colbert and eating a steak would change votes.
Hogan replied, “Well, once I hear the word ‘salad’ over and once more and she or he won’t even answer Bret Baier’s query, she won’t even say how many individuals have crossed the road, , during her administration.
“Everything is like that with them,” he continued. “They won’t answer questions, they won’t get specific, and they won’t even let the American people know what their plan is, so ultimately, if you want more of the same, you’ll go that route, but if you want America to be what it should be, vote no.” Donald Trump.”
Fans criticized Hogan on Fox’s YouTube channel for his supportive stance towards Trump, saying: “Anyone like Trump tells you how smart he is, he never listens to others because they don’t care about anyone but themselves. Trump is unfit to be president, but he is also unfit to be a human being. How can people forget all the chaos during his 4 years.”
Someone else wrote: “LOL! “Real men” are “truly single” today. Teaching men how to live alone in a cave is just not superb advice. And electing Trump will do them little good.”
“Kamala had the courage to go on Fox and call out Trump’s threats of violence. Trump didn’t have the guts to do 60 Minutes,” a 3rd person wrote.
They referred to viral moment this week, when Harris checked Fox reporter Bret Baier for showing a real-life example of Trump calling Democrats the “enemy from within” and suggesting they may need to be handled using military force.
Instead, they showed a clip in which the start of the quote was removed to make it appear that Trump was clarifying the interpreted “threatening” comments.
“Just an old man with old-fashioned ideas, completely outdated for today’s society.” he wrote one other person on X.
Like his friend Trump, Hogan has put his foot in his own mouth several times, which has gotten him into trouble.
More recently, in August, Hogan was speaking to an enthusiastic audience to promote his Real American Beer brand when he called them and responded, leading to his threats against Harris. Every time he said something, the group would say “What” and he would ask something else.
He he said“Do you would like to go crazy? Do you would like me to throw out more beers? You want me to hit someone. You want me to punch Kamala Harris. I said, do you would like me to punch Kamala Harris? You want me to throw my leg at Kamala. Is Kamala a chameleon?
He ended the call-and-response chant with a racist remark about Native Americans. He asked, “Is she Indian,” and among the crowd shouted “yes,” to which he replied, “OK, I like it.”
Harris is the daughter of an Indian mother and Jamaican father who immigrated to the United States.
It’s unclear if he’s doing this on purpose, but Hogan noticeably mispronounces Harris’ name throughout the video as *Ka-ma-la* as an alternative of *Comma-la* appropriately. This is a tactic utilized by many Republicans and critics to contemptuously attack Harris’ name and identity.
Hogan’s attack on Harris in Ohio may even cost him future opportunities. On the identical day because the promotional event, it was announced that his biopic starring Chris Hemsworth was not in the works.
“Joker” director Todd Phillips was considered one of the people working on the project and said, “I like what we were trying to do, but it’s not going to work for me.”
Kathy Griffin is giving her fans PTSD through the use of filters.
The 63-year-old posted a video of herself on her Instagram page and announced her comedy tour, “Kathy Griffin: My Life On The PTSD-List.”
She wore her signature red hair in a short and wavy hairstyle while wearing a two-piece swimsuit.
“Hi guys, I’m Kathy Griffin, comedian and beach vixen,” she said within the video, with a view of Honolulu, Hawaii, where the show will happen on Friday, October 18, within the background. “That’s a lot of Hawaii. Right behind me, there he’s.
She then went back to commenting on her figure, saying, “Look at my body. Can you handle it?” Referring to her swimsuit, Griffin continued: “I could wear it on stage. I’m not afraid.
Griffin said fans coming to her show can expect her to “heat things up” by telling comedic stories about affected by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in addition to “funny celebrity stories that are light and fluffy.”
“And I’m pretty sure I’ll be wearing a bikini on stage,” she added, before ending by throwing her middle fingers within the air and shouting “yes!”
Instagram users apparently were too distracted by Griffin’s facial appearance to give attention to what she was saying. After “Hollywood Unlocked” reposted under her video, many individuals within the comments asked: “What the hell did she do to her face?” and “What happened to her face??
Concluding that she had done something to her face, one person said, “It looks different on her face.”
Another person said: “I was a little scared,” while one other joked: “What mask was she wearing? Tf.”
Several fans have confused Griffin with a variety of celebrities, including country singer Reba McEntire, Richard Simmons and Britney Spears, the latter of whom incessantly dances in bikinis in online videos.
On her current page, fans continued to post comments and questions on Griffin’s appearance. “Why are you using these filters, Kathy? We love the actual you,” wrote one.
The other said: “Girl, you haven’t got to make use of a filter. You are beautiful just the best way you might be. The filter is definitely very distracting.
Griffin’s set title was inspired by a real-life experience Griffin told her fans about in 2023.
On TikTok she is he said“You may laugh or whatever, but I’ve been diagnosed with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and it’s called an extreme case. I’d love to listen to from you about depression, anxiety and the like and the way you are coping.
“If any of my story, you’ll understand that it actually began for me about five and a half years ago. Wink. Obviously, cancer didn’t help,” she said, referring to her 2021 lung cancer diagnosis.
About five and a half years before the video, Griffin faced widespread criticism for sharing a photo of herself holding a fake, bloody head of decapitated then-President Donald Trump. As a results of this incident, she not only received death threats and lost sponsorship deals, but was also investigated for conspiracy to assassinate the president.
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