Hey there, sponsorship deals.
Pop culture quiz. Remember the song “Hey there, Delilah” by the Plain White Ts, circa 2007? Well, did you know that it was inspired by a real-life Delilah? Maybe you did, smarty-pants. But I bet you didn’t know that she’s a national-class distance runner with a sponsorship deal from a major running shoe company.
Her full name is Delilah DiCrescanzo, and while her stalker’s song was topping the chart, she was hitting the track for Columbia University. Now she’s a professional track runner. And a pretty good one at that – she qualified for this year’s World Championships in the steeplechase. She’s also sponsored by Puma.
Now, professional distance running isn’t the most lucrative gig in sports. Companies aren’t exactly handing out sponsorship deals like candy these days. But Puma gave Delilah her very own reality-show YouTube series, chronicling everything from her practices to her life in New York City to her travels to Europe for races.
Does she deserve such a high-level endorsement based on her running credentials alone? Not really. But while other American runners have Olympic medals, she has name recognition with more than just track nerds. Almost any teenager will recognize Delilah based on the song. You can’t say the same about Shalane Flanagan (who happens to hold the American record for the 10,000 meter event). So it’s no surprise that Puma would prefer the pop star to be its brand ambassador. And just to make sure there’s no confusion, Puma makes it very clear that this Delilah is THE Delilah.
Good for her for getting the most mileage (pun intended) out of her 3:58 minutes of fame. Plus, maybe if she works hard enough, she’ll pull off another impressive athletic upset – getting the general public to care about long distance running.
Tagged with Delilah DiCrescanzo, Puma, running, sponsorship