THE ballpark figure lost might run to millions of dollars.
That?s the loud ledger for Manny Pacquiao when Nike dropped the 8-division world boxing champion from its roster of endorsers.
If you say dollars in this country, the greenback immediately conjures bundles of bills when converted into pesos.
A mere mention of thousands of dollars could mean a million pesos or more, making the beneficiary an instant millionaire in this benighted land of ours.
To the uninitiated, most sporting celebrities draw their fortune from product endorsements. In most times, their winnings pale in comparison to the amount of money they earn from sponsorship revenues.
Pacquiao is no exception.
Although he dismissed Nike?s move to dump him as not ?unexpected? since his contract, he said, had already expired, its impact still gnaws at the ego.
One just doesn?t do that to a guy with world stature like Pacquiao, whose face had been the face of world sports for quite some time in the not-so-distant past.
To this day, Pacquiao is more popular worldwide than, say, President Aquino. Nobody knows P-Noy in Mozambique but Pacquiao is a revered poster boy there.
Nobody?s blaming Nike for its move, rather stunning though and a bit baffling in a sense when it called Pacquiao?s anti-gay remarks as ?abhorrent.?
That ?abhorrent? thing was uncalled for and smacked of brutal arrogance against one loyal and a world-respected ally in Pacquiao, who had carried the Nike brand for so long and?take this?had profoundly brought wads of wealth to the shoe company?s owners. Are they gay, or something?
Why Nike had to resort to hurling hurtful words in bidding a sad farewell to someone with whom it had done decent deals anyway was simply gross and below the belt.
But, yes, sulk not Manny.
Stand your ground.
Walk the old, usual, roads chin up.
It is not the end of the world.
Before you know it, Nike?s rivals are now busy preparing an entirely new game plan, each one wanting, dying, to do business with you. If they are itching to be by your doorstep any minute now, no surprise there.
UA (Under Armor) has world No. 1 golfer Jordan Spieth in its fold, plus reigning NBA star Steph Curry.
Why, adding Pacquiao under UA?s wings representing boxing looks fine by me.
My commission, Manny? Ah, please give it to charity.
