Just Like O.J?

COMICS-HEADspot-bilt-detHow’d that work out?

I’m not really a sports fan, but it would seem that if you had a career after a stint in the National Football League beyond doing ads for a local restauranteur or auto dealer, you should hang onto it with both hands and feet. For every Joe Namath or Alex Karras who have successfully transitioned from the game, there’s dozens of flashes in the pan and even more players who leave the game for utter anonymity. Maybe they can get a break on a car if the dealer has a long memory or mooch an occasional free meal from the local sports bar.

spot-biltO.J. Simpson was one of those rare ex-jocks who had the world on a string. He was good looking and well-spoken which was exactly what advertisers wanted in print and television ads. He acted on television and big movies like Earthquake and Capricorn One. Spoofing his running through the airport in car rental ads was a well worn gag. He was everywhere. If he could carry a tune, he probably would have had hit records. And then…

Well, you know how that worked out.

The sports shoe ad which was unusual in that it was higher profile than the usual comic book ad and featured a celebrity who wasn’t a body builder appeared in issue no.185 of The Avengers.

AV185This featured the origin of Magneto’s Wonder Twins The Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver who will supposedly appear in the next Avengers and X-Men movies. Scarlet Witch had mutant witchy powers, and Quicksilver could run really fast. I seriously doubt that their costumes will look anything like this.

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