the athlete endorsement marketplace
Athletes and the Products They Endorse
In 2013, there was an estimated $1.1 billion spent on athlete endorsements. Shown below
are a few of the top earners in a variety of different sports (a random sampling is shown,
but all of the athletes listed are ranked in the top 35 of sports endorsement revenue):
Tiger Woods | Golf
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $65,000,000
Tiger is one of the greatest golfers ever to play the game. He is well
spoken and his smile can light up an entire room. Woods has a long term
endorsement deal with Nike, which produces his signature golf clubs,
shoes and apparel. Woods also has deals with Rolex (watches), Fuse
Science (athletic performance), Upper Deck (sports memorabilia), Kowa
(muscle relief) and NetJets (private airplanes). Tiger is easily one of the most marketable athletes of
all time and tops the leaderboard for the highest paid athlete endorser.
Roger Federer | Tennis
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $65,000,000
Federer is regarded by many to be the greatest tennis player ever. He has
held the world’s number one position for 302 weeks, with 17 Grand Slam
Singles titles, the most of any player ever. The Swiss native has
endorsements with Swiss companies Rolex (watches), Credit Sussie
(banking), Lindt (chocolate) and Jura Elektroapparate (home appliances).
He also has deals with Nike (athletic apparel), Gillette (shaving razors), Wilson (sporting goods),
Moët & Chandon (wine) and Mercedes-Benz (luxury cars).
LeBron James | Basketball
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $42,000,000
Just say his first name and everyone instantly knows who you are referring
to. His on court success combined with his off court popularity make him an
endorsement dream. He has many endorsements including: Nike (athletic
apparel), Powerade (sports drink), McDonald’s (fast food), Baskin-Robbins
(ice cream), Samsung (electronics) and Dunkin’ Brands (donuts).
Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Cricket
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $28,000,000
Dhoni is the captain of the Indian national cricket team and one of the
nation’s biggest celebrities. “Mahi” has endorsements with Pepsi (soft
drink), Reebok (shoes) and United Breweries Group (beverages) just to
name a few.
Usain Bolt | Track & Field
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $24,000,000
Bolt is the fastest human ever. The Jamaican sprinter is a six-time Olympic
gold medalist. His fun, cool and exciting, but still relaxed and laid-back
personality makes him likeable and relatable to anyone. Bolt’s largest
endorsement is with Puma (sports apparel) and he also has endorsements
with Gatorade (sports drink), Comcast (cable TV), Nissan (cars), Samsung
(electronics) and Visa (credit card).
Maria Sharapova | Tennis
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: 23,000,000
Sharapova’s athletic achievements combined with her appearance has
made her the top female athlete endorser. Sharapova has won 29 WTA
singles titles including four Grand Slam singles titles. Sharapova’s off
court style led to endorsement deals with Cole Haan (fashion) and Tag
Heuer (watches). She also has endorsements with Nike (sports apparel),
Samsung (electronics), Porsche (sports cars), Head (tennis gear) and Evian (mineral water).
Cristiano Ronaldo | Soccer
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $21,000,000
Ronaldo has the most Twitter followers of any athlete on this list; making
his marketing reach seem endless. He is the most popular soccer player in
the world and arguably the best current player. He owns a fashion
boutique, and his style and model like-looks have led to endorsements
with Emporio Armani (clothing) and Jacob Arabo (jewelry). Ronaldo also
has endorsements with Nike (sports apparel), Coca-Cola (soft drink), Castrol (automotive fuel),
Konami (video games), KFC (fast food) and Banco Espirito Santo (banking).
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | NASCAR Car Racing
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $13,000,000
The Earnhardt name and NASCAR go hand in hand. Junior was voted the
Sprint Cup Series Most Popular Driver by fans ten years in a row from
2003-2012. In 2004, he won the Daytona 500. Dale Jr. teams up with
Wrangler (jeans), Diet Mountain Dew (soft drink), Hellmann’s(food
condiments) and Chevrolet (cars).
Peyton Manning | NFL | Football
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $12,000,000
Manning is considered one of the best quarterbacks to ever play football.
He is a four-time NFL MVP, 12-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl
Champion and Super Bowl MVP. His endorsements are consistently some
of the funniest around, and he has even made an appearance on Saturday
Night Live. “The Sheriff” has endorsements with Reebok (shoes), Papa
John’s (pizza), Gatorade (sports drink), DirecTV (satellite TV), Wheaties (cereal) and Buick (cars).
Manny Pacquiao | Boxing
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $8,000,000
Pacquiao is the first and only fighter to win titles in eight different weight
divisions. The Boxing Writers Association of America named Manny
Fighter of the Year three times and Fighter of the Decade for the 2000’s.
“Pac-Man” has endorsements with Nike (sports apparel) and Hewlett
Packard (computers).
Shaun White | Skateboarding / Snowboarding
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $7,000,000
“The Flying Tomato” has two Olympic gold medals, 10 ESPY Awards
and 15 X-Games Gold Medals under his belt. He has endorsements with
Target (department store), Burton (snowboard equipment), HewlettPackard (computers), Oakley (sunglasses), Red Bull (energy drink), GoPro
(cameras), Ubisoft (video games) and Adio (skateboarding shoes).
Source: http://opendorse.com/top-100-highest-paid-athlete-endorsers-of-2013/