No, as I've already said, it doesn't really bother me that they have outside interests. I think I would probably have an outside venture if I were a professional footballer because there's no reason why I wouldn't want to experience another work environment and have a productive escape. However, what I don't understand is the business sense it makes to do something like a clothing line. Let's break it down for a second and look at the details:
Target audience:
I support Manchester United and I support Jesse Lingard when he plays for United. Would I buy a United shirt? Depends on the design. Would I get Lingard's name on the back? No way. Would I buy a JLINGZ hoody? Feck no.
I'm obviously not the target demographic but who is? I don't know any United fan (with the exception of one and if he wasn't family I wouldn't speak to him) who would even get Lingard's name on the back of their United shirt.
So what about rival fans? Just because I wouldn't wear a WALCOTTZ hoody doesn't mean someone else who isn't an Everton fan wouldn't but would you? I mean, even if they had great 'bantz' on social media I still would give it a miss.
No one but their mothers are shelling out for this merch. Which begs the question, who are they doing this for? Their ego? Self indulgence? It's undoubtedly costing them money to own a clothing company. Zlatan's closed last summer due to massive losses, and he's Zlatan.
Price point:
JLINGZ sell mens hoodies at £45 per hoody and kids at £35 per hoody. At that price they're at the high end of the market, completely alienating the average person who works for minimum wage.
To reiterate my previous point, who is going to pay Jesse Lingard, a footballing millionaire who moonwalks at the Emirates £45 to wear one of his hoodies?
Image:
Because Lingard has made himself the face of this clothing brand, its success is largely dependant on how well he does on the football field. He would have had much more success if he didn't plaster his face and name all over everything, at least then you would have a larger target audience. What happens if United sell him in the next couple of seasons? Will people still want JLINGZ clothing while he's playing at newly promoted Stoke?
It's all this that baffles me in all honesty. He's either incredibly naive and has been ill advised by some very deceptive people who are taking him for a spin or his ego is literally out of control to think he could go where no footballer has ever gone before and cross that divide between rivalries with some over priced, brightly coloured hoodies because he gets likes on Instagram. I'm picking on Jesse Lingard here but a lot of this applies to all of them also.
I feel sorry for him if it's the first one because it must be difficult being young, rich and famous, but if it's the second one I want them out of my club, today.