It’s one thing to push product, but it has to make financial sense. Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins was light on his feet wearing a pair of Kanye West-designed Adidas “Yeezy” cleats in his Week 1 NFL game. Problem is the shoes didn’t conform to the NFL’s uniform policy — wouldn’t be very Yeezy to conform, now would it? So not only was Hopkins light on his feet, he’s also now a little lighter in the wallet.
DeAndre Hopkins wearing Yeezys pic.twitter.com/feQY7BeCYB
— ⓂarcusD2.0 (@_MarcusD2_) September 11, 2016
The NFL fined Hopkins for the sartorial transgression. ESPN reported that Hopkins was chastened enough by the fine to likely choose another pair of cleats for Week 2 — that is, unless Kanye is willing to, um, foot the bill. In marketing dollars it’s a no-brainer: Hopkins’ exposure during a typical NFL game is worth far more to the Adidas Yeezy brand than a mere $6,000 fine. Especially when you consider that the Wall Street Journal estimates a branded tweet by West’s wife, Kim Kardashian West, to be worth $500,000. West, with Adidas’ backing, will no doubt take Hopkins up on his request to pay his fines going forward — if the calculation remains straightforward at $6K. The NFL, however, may be less lenient in Week 2. Then again, the fines and controversy actually add to the marketing value Hopkins delivers.
Texans’ DeAndre Hopkins was fined $6,000 for wearing Yeezy cleats.
His response to whether he’d wear them again = ?pic.twitter.com/e3iBCpAY8k— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 15, 2016
YEEZY 350 CLEAT by Kanye West.
September 15, 2016. pic.twitter.com/6ft7PHTRRd— adidas (@adidas) September 14, 2016
