On Tuesday, ESPN announced a groundbreaking move: merchandising deals with two of the top high-school basketball recruits in the country.
The network is known as a juggernaut in sports broadcasting and media, but its latest expansion into sponsoring athletes is shaking up the industry and prompting one NFL analyst to call them out.
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Millions of dollars are already being invested in high school sports, but the fact that media companies are now getting in on the action marks a new level in the movement.
ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported that ESPN is making its first foray into high school player sponsorship.
“For the first time ever, @SCNEXT and ESPN are signing two high school basketball players to merchandising deals: the #1 girls player on the SC NEXT 100, Kaleena Smith, and the #2 boys player on the SC NEXT 100, Beckham Black,” Charania tweeted. “Black is the younger brother of Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black.”
A number of journalists quickly pointed out that this is a conflict of interest for ESPN. After all, how can a company objectively rank and cover recruits while doing business with them? NFL analyst Mike Giardi was among the first to speak out, calling out the absurdity of the deal.
“Absolutely absurd,” Giardi posted. “How long before they start sponsoring college players?”
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Former ESPN college basketball insider Jeff Goodman also made his feelings clear, writing, “Not a conflict of interest at all. LOL.”
ESPN’s high school recruiting rankings are among the most respected in the industry, but they weren’t previously stakeholders in players’ success. Now, they are financially incentivized to promote the athletes they sponsor.
After the news was announced, fans and analysts were skeptical that ESPN would cover Black and Smith objectively now that they are on merchandising deals with the company. For example, some wondered if Black will soon rise to the No. 1 player in the class of 2027 over Marcus Spears Jr. now that he inked this deal.
There have always been some concerns about conflicts of interest in sports media since networks are in broadcast-rights deals with the leagues, some top broadcasters and analysts share agencies with certain players they cover, and so on.
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How ESPN’s deals with Smith and Black pan out and affect their content remains to be seen. Both seem to be surefire stars and have a ton of potential.
“I feel like there’s still always something to prove,” Black told KSR. “I mean, obviously, I’m one of the top guys, for sure, but I just got to continue to prove it to the best of my ability. … (My goal) is to be the best player in the class, for sure. That’s my short-term goal. Long-term, it’s being one of the best pros, being the best in the NBA.”
It’ll be interesting to see how the sports landscape shifts now that media companies are entering merchandising deals with some of the stars they cover.