• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, November 17, 2014

Sleep on it.

That is the recommendation of Darren Marshall, vp of consulting and research for rEvolution, when it comes to sports athletes -- soccer athletes included-- who want to respond with passion, friendly or harshly, when it comes to specific sports or other news events.

Marshall, speaking at Marketing: Sports. Soccer in America event, believes athletes need some perspective, especially when considering one’s endorsements.

Less than positive news events might not have an assumed trajectory of an athlete’s sponsorship life. This was true with one of the most highly visible soccer athletes, Landon Donovan, who was left off the U.S. team that went to the World Cup this year.

A silver lining came with Donovan’s association with EA Sports and other brand marketers, found in TV commercials that looked at his situation with a lighter touch.