15 Athletes Who Made More Money off Endorsements than Playing
Most people would think that athletes make the most money from actually playing; however, this is not the case. Athletes can earn more from endorsement, advertising and sponsorship deals then from what they actually get paid for doing. The very thing that has made them so famous, but the reality is that it is a far from rare occurrence. The greatest sporting figures are recognizable faces across the globe so it is not that surprising that they are targeted by major companies and brands.
Furthermore, some sports do not pay their athletes as generous as one may think.The more commonly watched sports such as soccer, football, basketball and boxing all pay their top athletes huge fees, but many of the athletes who compete in less watched sports are not the most well -off and do not always earn a great deal. As such, these athletes often rely on endorsement deals for a hefty chunk of their income.
Furthermore, some sports do not pay their athletes as generous as one may think.The more commonly watched sports such as soccer, football, basketball and boxing all pay their top athletes huge fees, but many of the athletes who compete in less watched sports are not the most well -off and do not always earn a great deal. As such, these athletes often rely on endorsement deals for a hefty chunk of their income.
Here are 15 athletes who made more money off endorsements than by playing:
15. Neymar
Neymar's contract with the Catalan club sees him earn $14 million a year, meanwhile his endorsements total in excess of $17 million
14. Rafael Nadal
Nadal's drop in form has seen his playing salary/winnings drop down to $4.5 million, but his endorsements still make him a sizable $14 million a year, making him still the third highest earning tennis player in the world today.
13. Ernie Els
With his winnings down to just over $3 million, Els still earns $16 million through his varies endorsement deals.
12. Maria Sharapova
11. Sachin Tendulkar
10. Li Na
9. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
8. Phil Mickelson
7. David Beckham
6. Michael Jordan
5. Roger Federer
4. George Foreman
3. Tiger Woods
2. Anna Kournikova
1. Usain Bolt
https://www.thesportster.com/entertainment/15-athletes-who-made-more-money-off-endorsements-than-playing/?view=all
This post is honestly very interesting. It is crazy to me how much money these athletes can make by simply endorsing a brand. It reminds me of how much money American Footballers make after saying "I'm going to Disney World" after they win a Super Bowl. David Beckham amazes me the most. I know of him and his family well because of their publicity but I honestly have no idea if he was even a good soccer (football) player. I almost feel as though it is all about how you sell yourself. I am shocked to see how much Usain Bolt is making in comparison to Beckham. I completely forgot about Bolt since his last appearance in the olympics.
ReplyDelete(Sarah)
DeleteIt sounds so cliche to pay someone to literally verbally say they're going to visit your company, but the amount of revenue that those simple words generate is unreal. The average human doesn't sit there at the end of the Super Bowl and say "wow because Tom Brady is going to Disney, so should I," but rather there's this subconscious association between status and brand that makes you want to spend money at those places.
DeleteIt is very important to note that professionals in the running, triathlon, type of sports make their money in a different way. Most are less out for the money and more in it to win the race. I am writing this because Usain Bolt is 1 on the list. Usually in triathlon, which I know a lot about, the top 3 get money with the winner getting the most. Everyone tries to gather enough points to get to Kona, the world championships. But most of the professional runners and athletes make most of their money from sponsorships and endorsements. If you looked at their instagram it is more covered with brand names than racing. In a sport like triathlon and running though, it is necessary to get endorsed. Also Usain bolt might play soccer. Im sorry I went on a rant, I just thought of these ideas as I was reading - Zach Cimring
ReplyDeleteHey Zach! What you're saying makes total sense. To make a whole career out of being an athlete, you can't just bank on constantly winning to make a salary. If you had a bad season, should that mean you get paid significantly less? I don't think so. I think endorsements are huge because it helps to steady the revenue stream that athletes earn. Fame itself doesn't pay, sponsorships do.
DeleteI really enjoyed this post as it truly puts into perspective just how important the third main sector (sponsors) of sports are to the industry. When we initially think of household names of athletes, we automatically attribute their popularity to their outstanding performance, however, we should really attribute this to their sponsorships and endorsements. For example, when someone asks me "who is the greatest basketball player of all time," I automatically answer Michael Jordan. Obviously this is because he was amazing at the sport itself, but I was only 5 years old when Jordan retired, which means I've truly never watched him play in the league. I mainly know that he is amazing simply from the way his sponsors (Nike with Air Jordan) position him and his success in the world of marketing.
ReplyDelete- Caity Callan
I think not only does this third sector help improve the overall popularity of teams and players, but it helps produce a steady stream of income that athletes of high talent deserve. Going back to your Michael Jordan example, if it weren't for endorsements, what money would he making right now considering he's retired? Thanks to sponsors, he didn't need to go find a whole new job after basketball, but rather could continue riding the wave of popularity that his talent created.
DeleteI thought this was a very interesting post. It amazes how the sports industry has changed over the years and how much players make from the sports they play. Sponsorships and endorsment deals have changed the way the sports world operates. It was interesting to read how players will make 3 or 4 million dollars in their career but then adding endorsments on top of the that they end up being worth 50 million dollars. Like the previous comment before me I think it is really interesting now how we can attribute an athelete not only to a sport but also a large household brand name like nike or adidas. Very interesting reading about the world of endorsments and sponsorships and to see how they drive the sports industry.
ReplyDeleteSome more food for thought would be about monopolies. I think this brand association you mentioned has helped make it clear over the years what the prominent sportswear companies are. The better the athlete, the better the brand, which has made it hard for smaller sportswear companies to enter the market. If they don't have a huge athlete repping their gear, are they even credible?
DeleteInteresting post! It is amazing to see how little athletes earn for actually playing compared to the amount of money they make from endorsements. I knew David Beckham was wealthy, but I did not know how affluent the man really is because of endorsements. Nearly only 10% of his wealth came from playing football! This shows how important sponsors are in the sports world. Of course, these athletes were able to endorse these brands because of their tremendous talent, but it is interesting to see how sports have evolved due to sponsorships.
ReplyDeleteDavid Beckham might be a different story though, simply because a lot of his money comes from modeling deals. Yes, they want him because he's David Beckham the soccer star, but if he wasn't wildly attractive, he wouldn't have nearly as many opportunities as he's had.
DeleteI thought this was a very interesting post. However, I am honestly not surprised by it. Athletes are playing for teams and organizations because that is what they love to do. Playing this sport is their passion and I bet most of them would play for less of a salary if it came down to that. However, it is way less important to them what brands they are wearing while they do it. The competing companies have to offer giant sums of money if they want the most recognizable player to endorse them. If the offer doesn't meet the expectations of the player, they will find a company that will give them more. It is funny to think about how much it means to a brand if say Messi is wearing their logo. It makes people think, oh Messi likes it, so do I! But in reality, Messi might not be passionate about it at all, he is just getting the most money from them. Do you think players ever choose the brands that they genuinely enjoy? - Darby
ReplyDeleteI think players do represent brands that they at least respect, but I think that's about 5% of it, while the package that they're receiving makes up the large majority of why they partner with a company. When you put it that way, it really makes us buying something just because Messi wears it a little dumb. Thanks for your thoughts!
DeleteI thought this post was very interesting. It put it into perspective to me that a lot of athletes who spend their whole lives perfecting their crafts, do not even receive the bulk amount of income from the sport which they love so much. Instead, some of them receive most of their income through endorsement deals where they support certain products or services, which they realistically probably do not even use themselves. It is kind of ironic that they will put their bodies and minds through so much for their sport/team, but at the end of the day that sport or team can't support them the way that huge business empires can. I'm sure it makes no difference to the athletes where these mega-million dollar deals come from, but it is a bit funny that a superstar can make more money promoting Campbell's Soup or something like that, then he can for winning his team a championship.
ReplyDelete- Bill Porter
If you think about it though, it's impossible to make the bulk of your income strictly by practicing your craft. That would assume that the majority of athletes income comes directly from ticket sales, which we know based on patterns today is impossible, because most people watch sports through the media.
DeleteAthletes make tons of money off advertising - correct. A lot of this is credit to their personalities though. On this list, many of these 15 celebrities are celebrities on and off the field. The fans love them, everyone loves them..they're more than just athletic. I think it is warranted that these special people make special amounts of money from different avenues - and the revenues are only going up....
ReplyDelete-Andrew Ingber
I disagree. Many of these athletes don't have your typical charisma and charm that you associate with celebrities, but are popular strictly based on their insane talent. Yes, everyone loves them, but because of the narrative that the media creates for them, not because of personality.
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ReplyDeleteInteresting post. It is very clear that in today's age of sports, advertisements and endorsements are the main source of income for these top athletes. For example, Michael Jordan's worldwide brand is worth 1.9 billion dollars and is sponsoring teams now. This is an extreme example but shows how much endorsements effect the industry and amongst the players.
ReplyDelete-Dean Miller