Having scored a record-setting number of goals for Fulham, including two hat tricks this season, Clint Dempsey has been named a brand ambassador for Jorg Gray watches. (image source: fulhamfc.com)
With restrained dignity, we told you about David Beckham’s new line of crusties. With a flash drive full of Alex Morgan’s legs, complete with toenails painted a delightful Robin’s egg-blue, we exposed Manchester United’s relations with Hublot watches. And I’m not even going to discuss our motivation for describing what Heather Mitts likes to stick in her ears. But now it’s Clint time.
That’s right, the scruffy American international Clint Dempsey has landed his own sponsorship deal with Jorg Gray watches. I’ll be the first to admit that I had never heard of Jorg Gray. But then I had never heard of Hublot either. Hell, I haven’t even worn a watch since I got an iPhone. But that’s not important now. And stop calling me surely.
Like Clint, Jorg Gray is American made – a specialty private-label watch manufacturer for those in the know, much like the man from Nacogdoches once was, with this obscure sport his fellow Texans call soccer. Both have since blossomed into worldwide brands, recognized for their quality and excellence.
Again, I know nothing about watches. But, despite dated criticism that Dempsey doesn’t do a lot of running, he’s arguably the perfect brand ambassador for Jorg Gray. President Barack Obama wears a Jorg Gray. And Lindsay Lohan recently appeared on the cover of Playboy sporting a Jorg Gray (though after repeated, intense examinations of the photo, I wasn’t able to even locate her arms, let alone a wristwatch). In a way, you could say that Dempsey is like some hair-brained cross between the two – a bizarre blend of a serious trailblazer and a passionate outcast. But I wouldn’t want to see him in the White House, or on the cover of Playboy.
President Obama wears a Jorge Gray JG6500 Chronograph, given to him as a birthday gift by his Secret Service detail back on the campaign trail in 2007. (image source: jorgegray.com)
These days, Clint Dempsey is right where he belongs – on the pitch. During a visit to Craven Cottage, I mentioned – with uncharacteristic patriotism – that last season Dempsey had scored more league goals than Wayne Rooney or Didier Drogba. My hosts, Fulham season ticket holders, seemed surprised by the revelation. Whether it’s the fact that Dempsey is an American or that he lacks the marketing savvy to even have a Web site, his accomplishments remain relatively unsung. This season “Deuce” (that’s his “rap handle” for those of you who are not “down,” which I presume means you are “up”) has scored more goals than any other midfielder in the Premier League. Bale and Nani may get the headlines, Nasri and Adam may get the contracts, but Dempsey outscores them all.
Yet Dempsey is anything but a posterchild for soccer stardom. At one end of the spectrum you’ve got the overly polished, nearly ego-maniacal Cristiano Ronaldo. At the other end you’ve got the shy, humble, almost child-like Lionel Messi. Dempsey falls somewhere in the midst, as out of place as Tater Tots at Le Bernardin. On the pitch, he is an attacking midfielder with the attitude of a holding midfielder that scores like a striker. And he plays for Fulham, more of an underdog side than one of Europe’s giants.
Here in America, he’s one of those players on the national team that separates the true fans from the enthused observers. Donovan may get most of the accolades, along with a handful of forwards who score as often as a fat kid in the chess club, but those who understand the game are more likely to raise a glass to Dempsey. He can be frustrating at times, seeming lazy and selfish. And if there’s any criticism, it’s that he doesn’t generate a lot of assists, particularly for his club. But when a manager is savvy enough to play him up top instead of in the chaotic American midfield (Donovan plays in the central attacking midfielder/trailing striker slot where Dempsey excels at Fulham), that’s when the magic happens. And when it comes to the US national team, we need all the magic we can get these days (and, frankly, the same could be said for Fulham).
Off the pitch, Dempsey has mellowed a bit from his “rappin” days. For a time, he had cultivated a Balotelliesque bad boy image to fit his outsider persona. But fatherhood and age (he’s only 28) seem to have helped him focus on what really matters. He still marches to the beat of his own drum, but he’s keeping perfect time. And given that he’s an American-made talent that’s finally getting his due in a world where Europeans have long ruled the roost, what better ambassador for a brand that’s also American-made and emerging in an industry long dominated by Europeans?
