While NASCAR has had it share of issues on its many failed attempts to diversify the sport, Randy Moss, the New England Patriots All-Pro wide receiver, is hoping to help the sport turn the tide.
According to a recent interview in Black Enterprise magazine, Moss acquired a 50 percent share in Morgan-Dollar Motorsports in 2008.
Like any high-profile superstar, after taking a sizable stake in the company, he named the company Randy Moss Motorsports. Go figure? It's all about branding and using your best asset. Isn't this why Oprah and Magic always tie their names (brand) behind the business ventures they're invested in. ...
Moss, who is also a savvy businessman, too, hopes to use his franchise winning name to colorize the sport and foremost create another stream of income off the field. George Fraiser, who is a networking guru and the author of several business books, says we should always have several streams of income. And Moss is taking Fraiser's philosophy to heart with one of his latest ventures.
Before Moss, who is a native of West Virginia, made a large financial investment last year in NASCAR, he had always mentored young folks interested in the sport. In fact, he served as an ambassador for the Urban Youth Racing School, which serves as a free program catering to over 200 inner city youths. Unlike his playmates, who are just sponsoring football camps, this playmaker also sponsors a dirt track in his hometown, too. So he was destined to do this.
While Moss contends he doesn't want his football celebrity to interfere with his NASCAR venture, it doesn't hurt this has allowed him to slowly gain corporate sponsorships, which has been an uphill battle for most blacks in the sport. Will Moss be the latest face of diversity for the sport? Can he influence people of color to join him in this journey?
No comments:
Post a Comment