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What do Lebron and Liverpool Have in Store?
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AFP
Don’t let the headline fool you - LeBron is still a Los Angeles Laker, and is still a basketball superstar (until Shams or Woj says otherwise), even though it would be very believable that LeBron found himself playing professionally in a different sport. However, we will soon see the king (or his likeness at least) on the pitch in England.
Some context: LeBron James has part ownership in Fenway Sports Group - which owns the MLB’s Boston Red Sox, the English Premier League’s Liverpool FC, and most recently, the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
It was announced earlier this week that LeBron will be working with Nike to launch a merchandise line with Liverpool FC. This marks a significant move for LeBron, who is taking his brand across the ocean and transcending into a whole new sport.
In a recent interview, Liverpool FC Chairman Tom Werner explained that “Nike is creating seven or eight products that connect LeBron with soccer.” Although details have yet to be released, Werner claims that “they’re going to create seven or eight products that rival the connection that Michael Jordan has with Nike.”
That last line in Werner’s quote struck loud in my mind, and in the discussion, we had on the wwm pod. The last time we saw an athlete transcend sports on the merch side was when the Air Jordan brand created a new line of streetwear in a collaboration with Paris Saint Germain.
The Air Jordan brand, logo, and name represent the gold standard for an athlete’s brand - one that goes beyond the athlete’s achievements in their sport, and lives as a separate identity. When Jordan and LeBron are brought up in the same conversation, comparisons are impossible to avoid - and LeBron’s newest venture has the Jordan conversation-starting again (this time off the court).
The 21st Century has brought us the biggest names in sport all-time - LeBron, Federer, Messi, Ronaldo, Serena Williams, Tiger Woods. Of the 6 athletes I just listed, 4 have an existing partnership with Nike and are synonymous with the swoosh, LeBron being one of them. The point is, Nike athletes have a disadvantage in creating an independent brand like Air Jordan, because of how tied their brand identity is with the company. When LeBron signed a life-long deal with Nike in 2015, the fate was sealed. LeBron has been the face of Nike since he got drafted, and Nike has equally been the face of LeBron.
In the early stages of this development, the million (maybe billion) dollar question is how successful this venture will be. The English football audience is very local and protective of their tradition and culture - a topic we have discussed often on the pod. How will they react to the merchandise? Will it connect to the culture of the Liverpool fanbase - or will it be an attempt to democratize the fanbase and appeal to a more international (specifically North-American) audience?
The good news is that Liverpool certainly has the best athlete for the job - if any athlete can transcend sports, it’s the king himself. LeBron has shown himself to be a Liverpool fan for years now, and his ownership is a stronger showing of his support for the club. For this to work, LeBron needs to embrace the market, and the market needs to embrace LeBron. It cannot be stressed enough that as the EPL market grows globally, the unique characteristics that make the league what it is are homegrown and must be recognized when growing the brand.
The leap of faith Liverpool, Nike, and LeBron James are taking in this venture is both exciting and questionable. A phrase you may hear often on the pod is “the proof is in the pudding”, and the success of this merchandise launch will be found in the Yorkshire Merseyside Pudding.
Published: December 3, 2021 - Issue 16 of The Sport Marketeer