January 21, 2005
Women's tennis goes upwardly mobile
Sony Ericsson mobile phone users may soon be able to download images or video of Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova in action, reports The Age.
"Emerging mobile phone giant Sony Ericsson revealed it had paid $US88 million ($A116 million) for a global sponsorship deal with the Women's Tennis Association Tour.
The six-year agreement illustrates that, at least in tennis, women can match it with the men in cutting big deals. The corporate sector is chasing women's tennis because it can offer them the one thing men's sport cannot consistently do - sex appeal on top of athletic ability.
On Sunday, Sony Ericsson didn't use that phrase but the company's description of why it is handing over such a large cheque sounds like that's why it is interested."
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