From The Archives: Selling Pele

As the 1970 World Cup came to a close, IMG looked towards internationalization with eyes on a particular global star: Brazil's Pele. IMG was becoming a global sport management giant; Pele was entrenched as the most recognizable and marketable soccer star in the world. And yet, the process was anything but smooth. Pulled from UMass Amherst's digitized McCormack/IMG archive, this case features gems from the 1970 affair: hand-written letters from Mark McCormack to Pele's camp, copies of Pele's initial IMG contract, and a fact sheet outlining Pele's commercial rights and demands. Students peer inside a very different time for the marketing of sport icons, and learn from history's lessons.