Sports & Entertainment Beat

Welcome back to the Spotlight! In a week that’s been dominated by headlines about the US Presidential election, against my better judgment, I can’t help but dive in to the discussion on some capacity—even though trying to write on the topic in an anodyne fashion makes me feel like I’m playing a game of Minesweeper. Throughout the respective campaigns of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, the power of entertainment and celebrity has been on full display. On the one hand, there was Trump, who rose to national prominence years ago with the help of the reality television series, “The Apprentice” and used the support of the likes of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan and recording artist Kid Rock at this past summer’s Republican National Convention. On the other hand, there was Harris, whose political platform was widely endorsed by some of the biggest stars in the sports and entertainment world—Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, to name a few. Objectively, if fame and the commercial value of an endorsement were a determining factor in an election, Harris would have won in a landslide. Instead, no amount of endorsements could move the needle far enough in Harris’ favor, as Trump prevailed. How and why voters voted as they did will be the subject of conjecture and examination in the days to come, but perhaps, in the current economic climate, the very voices that are so important to influencing purchasing decisions don’t carry as much weight for those who feel frustrated in their ability to afford purchases themselves. 

• • NBA big man Joel Embiid has received mounting criticism and investigations over his questionable injury status causing him to miss games for the Philadelphia 76ers. So naturally, when Embiid got into an altercation with a reporter over said criticism, his punishment was to…miss games for the Philadelphia 76ers.
     
  • Duke University Blue Devils freshman Cooper Flagg quenches his thirst for NIL income, signing an endorsement deal with Gatorade at the ripe age of 17.
     
  • Wrexham AFC co-owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds are now also co-owners of Wrexham Lager—as shrewd marketers who have seemingly had a Midas touch over the past few years, one can only hope that they are up for the challenge of finding a way to pair beer with sports.

For inquiries and/or unabashed compliments, please feel free to contact me at josh.bloomgarden@foster.com or add me on LinkedIn.