It took Carli Lloyd 16 minutes to make sports history; marketers are hoping to help her extend that new found fame a little longer.
Lloyd could be in line for several million-dollar marketing deals, according to a variety of sports marketing sources.
That potential stands in stark contrast to her earnings as a professional soccer player for the Houston Dash. The National Women’s Soccer League has an individual earnings cap of $37,800 per season.
Lloyd’s agent, WME’s Josh Weil, said he has received at least 200 business and media messages since Sunday night. He has been so inundated with marketer inquiries, sources tell The Post they don’t expect a call back until next week while the soccer star already nicknamed “Captain America” concentrates on the bevy of media requests.
Weil said he is already talking to an auto brand and watch company about partnerships. Credit card firm Visa fortuitously signed the goal-driven star last week.
The 32-year old from Delran, N.J., said Monday she hadn’t slept a wink and could barely get through her text messages after her record-fast hat trick, capped by a 50-yard strike from near midfield. She was also handed soccer’s Golden Ball award as the best player in the tournament.
The awards might not stop there. Weil said Lloyd will attend the ESPYs July 15 in Los Angeles where the U.S. National Team is nominated for Best Team.
And the exposure will continue, in addition to being on the cover of the next Sports Illustrated issue, Lloyd could appear on “Conan” while in Los Angeles.
Crains New York Business reported T-shirts bearing her name sold out within hours while Modell’s also sold out online of team shirts they’d hope to begin selling Wednesday.
Lloyd is a relatively blank slate for marketers since she has few corporate deals under her belt.
Teammate Alex Morgan has partnership agreements with Nike and Coke while Abby Wambach’s list includes Nike, Panasonic, Chipotle and Pepsi.
But Lloyd wants to be associated with brands she uses or already likes. One brand in particular is Whole Foods.
Lloyd, an organic-food nut who celebrated the World Cup win with a big glass of water, would like to work for Whole Foods someday according to Weil.
“If the CMO of Whole Foods calls, we’d get on the next flight to [the company’s headquarters in] Austin,” Weil said.
But marketers will have to act fast to capitalize on the enthusiasm.
The team will regroup next year to play in the summer Olympics in Rio which Lloyd is already training for, but the next Women’s World Cup won’t happen until 2019 in France.
The extent to which Lloyd can make marketing moolah will largely depend on whether she can maintain some momentum.
Jarrod Moses, head of United Entertainment Group, told The Post: “She’s going to be a huge star and a big brand. If I were a marketer, I would make a two-year deal with an option to extend, at around $3 million over three years.”
Moses said Lloyd could bag deals totaling between $15 million to $18 million over the next two years if she wants.
“It’s the female Super Bowl and the fact that it is the women, not the men, at number one shows the power of Title IX,” Moses said.
Morgan Buksbaum, Senior Partner, Vice President of Entertainment and Sports with ad agency MediaCom, told The Post: “There’s potential for Carli to become one of the most endorsed female athletes out there.”
Though he says in order to get the kind of recognition awarded to the likes of Danica Patrick and Serena Williams, Lloyd would need to have “consistent superstar moments.”
Marketers who are already attached to Major League Soccer might also look to amplify their spending via partnerships with Lloyd, while brands not involved might want to get behind the suddenly hot player of the moment, says Buksbaum. Audi is among MLS sponsors along with Mondelez and Johnson & Johnson.
16W partner Steve Rosner declined to put a monetary value on possible deals, but suggested Lloyd could be in line for two or three national corporate relationships.
“It’s not about what she makes now,” Rosner said, “It’s about what it means to her long-term success so she can continue to earn revenue from this World Cup for the next 20 years.”
U.S. soccer has other ideas, the organization suggested Lloyd and goalkeeper Hope Solo as the new women on the $10 bill.