Missy Franklin takes a selfie with children from the Playworks program during a Laureus USA ambassador announcement in April. (Lachlan Cunningham, Getty Images)
Missy Franklin does her homework.
The 20-year-old, that she would forgo her final two years of college eligibility to turn pro, returned to Colorado less than two weeks ago and is has started vetting companies for potential endorsement deals.
Franklin put her lucrative career on hold to go to the University of California, Berkeley, for two years, a move that cost her possibly millions but one she said she would make “100 times over.”
But now, having signed with Mark Ervin of WME-IMG, Franklin is able to reap the financial benefits of her accomplishments. She hasn’t signed with any company yet, as she wants to make sure she does her due diligence in finding brands that properly represent her.
“It’s been a very, very fun process. Some incredible companies that we’re talking to that I’m really fortunate to even have the opportunity to be talking with them,” she said Monday at a luncheon for The Association for Women in Sports Media. “But similar to picking an agent, I want to be represented by someone who is going out into the workplace and representing me, and representing what Missy Franklin is all about.”
The priority, she said, is finding a company that allows her to inspire others.
“At the end of the day,” she said. “That’s the most important thing to me.”
