The cost of unibrows in basketball

TORONTO – Anthony Davis, expected to be the NBA’s top overall draft pick on Thursday, has trademarked eye-brow based slogans that refer to his unibrow.

“I don’t want anyone to try to grow a unibrow because of me and then try to make money off it,” Davis told CNBC.

The 19-year-old basketball star trademarked the phrases “Raise The Brow” and “Fear The Brow” in early June.

Both slogans were used on merchandise last season when Davis played with the Kentucky Wildcats, but he couldn’t capitalize on it due to NCAA rules prohibiting him from profiting from his name/status in college. (Shops that sell merch with these phrases will be restricted once the trademarks are approved).

Forbes reports this is just the latest instance in a growing trend of athletes who apply for phrase trademarks:

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• 2011 Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III filed for a trademark for the phrase “Unbelievably Believable” (said during his Heisman acceptance speech).

• New York Knicks star Jeremy Lin won a battle for the term “Linsanity” (after more than 12 parties applied for trademarks).

• NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens has trademark protection for the phrase “I Love Me Some Me.” 

• Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen has “Got Strange?” 

• Retired NBA coach Pat Riley trademarked “Three-peat.”

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office lists the price of filing an online application to trademark a phrase at $325, prohibiting anyone besides the rights owner from profiting off the phrase.

Davis now has media representation and has signed an endorsement deal with Sprint, promoting its “watch live” app for the ESPN broadcast of draft night.

The young basketball player has shown both a keen business sense, and a dedication to the typically taunted unibrow and all its glory.

CNBC reports that when asked if a razor company could offer a deal involving the shaving of his migrated mustache, Davis replied: “I might have a commercial where I’m acting like I’m shaving it and then I’ll throw the razor down.”