“I’m a person that didn’t come from much financially, but I worked my a– off to get where I want to be." - Saquon Barkley

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, July 16, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Nike scrapped their initial deal and retroactively re-signed Barkley in the vicinity of $25 million for four years in October 2019. This is the second-largest sum ever promised to a football player, jointly arranged by Ken Katz and Robert O'Shea Jr. of Gold Point Partners. After 1,000-yards rushing in back to back season just to start his NFL career, Barkley, 23, is already populating TV commercials. Now, he's joining another stratosphere usually reserved for legends, his own clothing and footwear brand being produced. All of this without an external media boost from a Super Bowl MVP ring or eve a viral one-handed grab. Better yet, he is doing this only as his prime begins. On the forthcoming shoe of the Giants star, the preliminary concept of simulated concrete is not meant just to create flash. It's a tribute to another name that he was almost given. Reminiscent of the streets and playgrounds in The Bronx where he was raised. Symbolic on his journey back to New York as a born and raised Pennsylvania, Penn State-bred celebrity created for the cross-section on sports and pop culture visible as the symbol of the Giants.

“I’m a person that didn’t come from much financially, but I worked my a– off to get where I want to be,” Barkley told The Post in a recent interview. “I’m going to continue to do that. That’s what I want not just my shoe, but my whole life, to represent. I keep the main thing the main thing — football and trying to be the best I can be to bring a championship to this city,” Barkley said. “But the same way I’m trying to learn to be a better player, I’m trying to learn to become a better businessman. This game is going to be taken away. For me, it could be at 30, 32, 33. It’s a short time I have with football, and I’m going to take advantage of it.”

Bob Iger, former Chief Executive Officer of the Walt Disney Company, became a mentor to the aspiring businessman and their conversations were in Barkley 's mind when he chose his product line’s superhero-inspired ‘S’ logo from 25 finalists. “I could’ve gone with a logo of me jumping over someone, or with my initials,” Barkley said. “What’s the most successful business in the world? Disney. They attract kids. I wanted the logo to be all about kids.” Barkley's Nike shoe, set to be launched in 2021, after the coronavirus disrupted the consumer market, is a fresh take on the Bo Jackson model from the 1980s. Travis Scott, a musician and one of the hottest names in sneaker design, was recruited by Barkley and Katz to work with a 12-person team to turn a training shoe into a lifestyle shoe.

“To have a team like Nike behind me means everything. I know the topic now is police brutality and George Floyd, but Nike does a great job outside of that, too, in my community efforts. They are willing to hear your vision,” continues Barkley. “I just appreciate greatness. No matter if it’s sports, the music industry, business or politics. There are similar characteristics why everyone is successful. When Travis is talking about his music, you see how his brain is operating. It’s how my brain operates when I talk about a football play.”

Barkley uses his fortune to support others, along with his home and alma matter. Barkley gave free gear to Penn State football players which they received from Barkley 's collection at every bowl game for the 2019 Cotton Bowl. The establishment of his alma mater with access to Nike exclusives was an important contractual negotiating point for Barkley. Penn State, one of the first football partners Nike had in 1993, could use it as a recruiting tool. “It’s a blessing to be able to be that figure for Penn State,” Barkley said.

“I am very fortunate to live my dream. I want that design in there to resemble a rose can grow from concrete. No matter your circumstances, if you have the right mindset and are passionate, anything is possible. If I come across a kid who says he wants to be the next me, I give them the advice my father gave me. If I strive to be the next Barry Sanders or Bo Jackson, I’m putting a cap on my potential. Why not try to be better? Never try to be the next Saquon Barkley. Be the best version of yourself,” concludes Barkley.

Aurora DeRose
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