Thanks everyone for the information regarding sponsors and the JSF. *Sigh* maybe if the JSF had only taken him more seriously back in his junior years, I think he would've never been a late bloomer. His capabilities could've been discovered sooner with the right amount of support. I'm speechless, even after good results from last season, not one sponsor was offered to him?
I just can't believe it...
Disclaimer: the following analisys is a little like the one that Marketing heads will do before sponsoring an athlete. All opinion is taken with out emotional involve so even when I point out some "negatives" things about Tatsuki I will like to made clear that I actually like him, his interactions with other members of team Japan show me he is a cute man, but a very shy and awkward, nerdy one.
As I said is not easy for a brand to sponsor a sportmen/woman.
*First of all the image/personality of the athlete should fit your brand.
*Second if the willing of the individual to be marketable. This mean, the will to promote the brand. And in my opinion is here where Machida may have run into problem, because he is socially awkward.
*Third what is the roll of the athlete and this revolve around three rolls:
--Are you someone with lots of success that people will want to be or aspired to be (Think Mao, Dai and Yuzuru who has multiple accolades to their name)
--Are you someone that people will follow because you are a lider or your great personality so can influence their decision (Daisuke, Akiko, Kozuka all have been Team Japan capitans)
--Are you someone that is the people´s pal, those that looks so nice and funny enough that people want to be their friend/hang on with them (Oda, Kanako, Mao, Yuzuru, Dai), and here I think did one big mistake when the light was upon him: Machida actually told his university that he will like to have single person tables in te cafetery so he doesn´t have to talk to people, If I were a brand wanted to sing him I would have put a big question mark by his side (recognition ceremony that happened last year after worlds for Dai, Oda and Machida).
After Worlds this year Machida looked always serious and shy (you can´t be a brand embassador being shy UNLESS YOU ARE THE ABSOLUTELY BEST THAT THERE IS- think Tiger Woods, Michael Phelps, Leonel Messi or Lewis Hamilton), then I think that he went to a couple of shows with Oda, but beside Oda (the man is a show in his own right: does imitations, tell jokes, is really bashing and doesn´t take himself so serious so people feel endearing to him) just accentuated how little Machida likes to be in this kinds of situations.
Finally as Ioanap mentioned Tatsuki was good being young, but I think he have the bad luck to be in a generation where other skaters where grabbing the attention:
-Daisuke, Oda, Kozuka and Yuzuru all won Junior Worlds. Lets remember that given Kozuka, Tatsuki and Yuzuru ages at some time Tatsuki was a Junior compiting against one or the other, and Yuzuru and Kozuka junior achivement look a little more impresive in paper than Tatsuki´s.
-The year that at 19 he was 4th in nationals (and by that year Tatsuki has aleady made the jump to seniors if you look at Wikipedia records), was the year that at 15
Yuzuru became Junior Worlds while still being in middle school (the first of the 4 Japanese men that have win the title that did this and
ruled JGP circle also winning JGPF (and I hope I´m not feeding Yuzuru´s haters here); was the year that Daisuke
won bronce medal at Olympics first Olympic medal in men ´s events for Japan and
won worlds, and even more
Mao (JAPAN´s darling) won silver medal at Olympics. So Tatsuki´s achivement peobably got only a footnote in the media.
And finally this year between Yuzuru´s golds, Mao´s half/half retirement and Daisuke´s retirement the attention was once again taken out of Machida.One media personality said to me once: "if they aren´t paying attention to you, you should made the noise on your own" and sadly Machida is not the on that will like the noise.
So with this information an my limited sponsor budget (all brands has budget even if they want to they can´t sponsor all athletes) I would probably will said that the scale doesn´t lean towards Machida in my decision.
I think Tatsuki should have looked for medium brands, not big brands for sponsorship, but I don´t think he has an agent. Look at Jason Brown, he certanly have a lot of buzz after nationals last year and Olympics and even so he didn´t got any sponsor an he does has an agent.
