The Michael Owen Brochure

It’s all well and good to pay attention to one’s “personal brand” in this era of instant communication. But even Michael Owen, a long-time international player for England and a soccer star of renown in the rest of the world, can flub it up.

Owen’s current club, Newcastle United, was recently relegated from England’s Premiere League. (Relegation is a concept foreign to Americans (as, indeed, is competitive soccer) - imagine that the three worst teams in Major League Baseball were sent down, literally, to the minor leagues at the end of the year. To fill the gaps left by the departure of those teams, the best teams in the AAA minor leagues would be promoted to the majors.) Owen himself has reached the end of his contract, and is looking for a job that keeps him in the Premiere League. So he (or more specifically, his representation) created a lovely brochure of his stats, qualities, and, er, other stuff:

GROINS
Micheal first complained of “groin pain” in Autumn 2007 My diagnosis was an “Abdominal Groin Disruption (Sportsmans or Gilmore Groin),” which would require an open-repair using mesh.
-John Green, BSc (Hons), MCSP, HPC (Mr. Owen’s doctor)

This is perfectly valid information to request from an athlete who, at 29, is approaching codger status. But it is one of many indications that the brochure is entirely on the defensive. Five pages are dedicated to rebutting the tabloid press. Even the talking points at the beginning of the brochure sound a little grumpy. Perhaps worse, he is being positioned as a “value” in “trying economic times,” so that the impression lingers that Mr. Owen is a damaged (or perhaps refurbished?) commodity.

I won’t presume to know more about sports management than, say, actual managers of sports professionals, but as a layperson, it seems to me that Mr. Owen should tackle negotiation for a new contract in the same way he takes the field - all business, playing for the team, focused on the next opportunity. And (perhaps) he should let the performance speak for itself.

The difference between the player and the brochure is striking. Whether personal or corporate, the brand itself needs to match its representation.