Mike's Blog

Maria Sharapova - a dream for marketing people all over the world.

Earlier this week, a minor brouhaha erupted between UEFA bigwig Lennart Johansson and the world of women's football, as he said the following to Radio Five Live:

"If you see a girl playing on the ground they're sweaty and they rainy weather they come out of the dressing room lovely looking… that would sell."

Now here, Mr Johansson does sound like a bit of a lecherous old fool. His precise choice of words is a little peculiar. However, the context in which he said it must be noted. Immediately before this sentence, he said the following:

"Turn to the sponsors, turn to the articles used by ladies, and not just have sponsors like adidas."

So, in a nutshell, what Mr Johansson is saying is:

• Women's football is different to men's football.
• Branding it the same way as the men's game will not attract new sponsors or spectators.
• Branding it as a more feminine/elegant/pure alternative is The Way Forward.

I don't see a problem with this. For a moment, let's compare it to another sport where sex differences aren't considered much of an issue - tennis. Traditionally, men's tennis is the more powerful game, much faster, and with longer games. Women's tennis though is slower, some would argue more technical, and more to do with strategy than brute force. 'Personalities' in the game are also treated differently. Let's compare two of the stars of the tennis world at the moment - Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick. Both are on adverts a lot at the moment, with Sharapova advertising deodorant, and Roddick American Express. This is not in any way sexist. Sharapova is an exceptional athlete, a superb player, and also incredibly elegant - some would call her a role model. For top women footballers to be able to get similar acclamation can only be a good thing for the game.

Listen to Johansson's interview and it's quite clear what he's talking about. (Real Player required).

It's summer, and I know that without football and before the Ashes, sports stories are scarce, but this is a total non-story.