Comparison/Contrast - Essay Example

Running Head: Roger Federer and David Beckham Federer as Religious Experience and the Multiple Brand Personalities of David Beckham Professor June 13, 2011 Few athletes have the capacity, opportunity and dedicated focus to be marked with greatness, like tennis ace, Roger Federer and soccer icon, David Beckham. These men achieved star status in their respective professions. Even though both are well known in the world of sports, their careers paths have diverged. One is changing trends and redefining tennis, while the other is being commercially redefined by trendy brands.

To elaborate, Roger Federer is said to have re-embodied tennis, particularly with his execution of seemingly impossible moves and the way he plays the sport rather unconventionally. Any observer of tennis would be enthralled by how this genius plays the game. While watching him play, one is captivated by the fluidity and power behind his simple stature. It is simply a beautiful experience. According to the article, “Federer as Religious Experience,” the beauty he personifies is not one that pertains to an imposing physical appearance, but the fitness of the body and the power moving within it (Wallace, 2006).

Furthermore, his is not the kind of beauty that conforms to cultural norms or ideals of sex appeal, like so many other athletes. He possesses a shapely and athletic body that responds astoundingly well to his intentions. Quick and surprisingly strong, his reflexes are ultra aware and responsive. There is a certain ease and confidence about him. With an outstanding forehand, fluidly sliced backhand, and accurately consistent serve, Roger Federer is surely not just an all time great tennis performer, but arguably the best tennis player ever, to date.

On the other hand, the stardom of David Beckham has given new meaning to the word “multifaceted”. Where once the world knew and appreciated him as an outclass soccer player and shooter, today he is increasingly known more and more because of his modeling, endorsements, and brand imagery. He and his wife have become a joint symbol for many brands, including the Police sunglasses, Gillette, Pepsi, and more. His wife is former Spice Girl, Victoria Adams. These two iconic figures have started a trend of brands.

Beckham’s beauty and prowess have been used to represent things other than his soccer celebrity status, which is why companies have asked him time and again to endorse their items (Vincent, Hill, & Lee, 2009). The referemced article sums it up in a play on words, used as their title, “The Multiple Brand Personalities of David Beckham”, thereby alluding to a lack of identity integration. Taking a clue from this allusion, Beckham should follow Federer’s dedicated and integrated focus on skills which took him to stardom in the first place.

He should re-ignite the tremendous skills he possesses, the most potent being his long range shooting skills. He has the unexpected precision of a sniper, in soccer. Shooting from long distances is an art that develops after a lot of effort, but Beckham is naturally gifted at this, though he rarely shows it now. With Beckham, it’s not all about power, but the accuracy ( BBC Sport, 2005) and the illusion with which the shot is made. Even at close quarters, Beckham makes it very difficult for goalkeeper to judge where he’s going to kick.

This is a gift to develop and cherish. Unfortunately, soccer giftedness is something Beckham is allowing to diminish, as his sports focus becomes increasingly watered down by commercial opportunities and branding identification with Adams. Although both big players have the spotlight shining upon them, Federer manages to keep the sports stage to himself, while Beckham’s soccer status is rolling downhill. It will not be long before endorsements run out as well. Even though both men achieved recognition and beauty in their respective sports, Roger Federer is a rising star, aiming to be the brightest in the world of men’s tennis, while David Beckham is a setting star, to be remembered as the endorser of various products.

Each player has exceptional natural capacity, and was given opportunity to develop it, but each ultimately chose to dedicate their focus in different ways. That being said, the footprints that these players are leaving, are unlike any that have walked the field of sports. References: Vincent, J., Hill, J.S., Lee, J.W. (2009). The Multiple Brand Personalities of David Beckham: A Case Study of the Beckham Brand. Sport Marketing Quarterly. 18, 173-180. Wallace, D.F. (2006, August 20) Federer as Religious Experience.

Retrieved May 21, 2011, from: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/sports/playmagazine/20federer.html BBC Sport. (2005, September 14). Stay on target with Beckham. Retrieved June 14, 2011, from BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/skills/4200260.stm