Kick it like Beckham! Just before Christmas last year we have signed our partnership with Romeo Beckham. The 19-year-old will be wearing our PUMA FUTURE Z 1.2 football boots. Romeo is currently preparing for his second season in professional football after signing with Fort Lauderdale CF, a USL League One side and reserve affiliate of Inter Miami CF. His passion and commitment to the game is complemented by his energy and style off the pitch and the combination is something that PUMA are excited to be part of. Stay tuned for more news on Romeo!
Puma nabbed one of the biggest social media stars. Had the quote stopped there, this would be a discussion on influencer marketing and how Puma’s real work in football, and in every other aspect of sport, is more influential than signing the son of one of the greatest soccer players of all time, David Beckham. David Beckham, who just so happens to be one of the faces of adidas soccer even after retiring in 2013, is married to Reebok-sponsored Victoria Beckham.
While it is impressive to have three members of the same family signed to three different brands, could Puma be reaching for something it doesn’t need? Puma has Neymar Jr. That’s a win by itself for the brand in the sport. Instead, Puma announced the signing of Romeo Beckham with a reference to the famous “Bend it” tagline connecting father to son in a way that simply hasn’t worked very well for any legacy athlete in any sport.
Athletes who are the sons of famous fathers are often lost in comparison and in many instances, it staunches the growth of the player. Consider Michael Jordan’s sons. Neither grew to the same heights as their famous dad and both had average college careers. The constant comparisons to their father happened in ugly ways with the University of Central Florida having to lose their adidas sponsorship because they recruited the son of MJ. A current problem with legacy in sport is Zaire Wade, son of D Wade. His father is not only a part of the Heatles and a three-time NBA champion who will be a hall of famer, but in assigning Zaire to the G League franchise, fans have complained about nepotism for the kid. Looking down the line of amazing, superstar athletes and at their children finds almost every instance falling short of the parent’s glory. Those parents who were signature athletes the shortcomings of the child’s games have been stressed to a point where many of the children of superstar athletes walk away from the game altogether. What’s worse is the media isn’t kind: Top 15 Talentless Children of Legendary Athletes (thesportster.com)
Puma has been killing it in every aspect of business. While it makes sense to nab a kid with over 3 million followers on IG, maybe building a brand here could backfire for both the athlete and the brand, or am I overthinking this? Could Romeo go on to become half of what his father was? If every example of a superstar athlete and their parent looks like the list above, the precedent isn’t a good one.
