Eight ways the world’s most marketable athletes are showing up for brands
The business of athlete endorsement is evolving, and this year’s 50 most marketable sports stars are increasingly showing that few topics are off limits when it comes to brand collaborations.
Fewer women, no Ohtani, and middle-aged icons: The numbers behind the most marketable athletes of 2025
Another year, another chance to take stock of the most marketable athletes on the planet as SportsPro drops its 16th annual ranking.
Why a 17-year-old skateboarder is more marketable than Kylian Mbappe
SportsPro’s latest ranking of the world’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes includes intriguing shifts in the pecking order, with Steph Curry overtaking Caitlin Clark and Carlos Alcaraz edging out Jannik Sinner. A closer look at the data reveals the key factors that set certain sports stars apart from their peers.
High school to Hollywood: LeBron’s journey from NBA prodigy to media giant
Ever since Michael Jordan first retired from the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1998, several players have been anointed his successor as the face of the sport. Some recipients of this poisoned chalice have faded into obscurity, others had illustrious careers without ever threatening to surpass the Chicago Bulls icon, and a select few have […]
Hamilton or Verstappen? Norris or Leclerc? Breaking down the most marketable F1 drivers in 2023
The 14th edition of SportsPro’s 50 Most Marketable (50MM) Athletes list has been unveiled and there is once again strong representation from Formula One drivers. In recent years, the popularity of Formula One has skyrocketed, with a combination of the pandemic, Netflix’s Drive to Survive docuseries, and a close championship battle between Max Verstappen and […]
The new generation: How Angel Reese and Oliva Dunne are spearheading the next evolution of athlete marketability
The concept of the ‘influencer athlete’ may still be relatively new, but the need to be active on social media as well as the field of play is now the norm for today’s sports stars. “It could be a sign of the times,” says Garrett Yaralian, an agent at WME Sports, who also heads up […]
Why a sport’s marketability is driven by the interplay among its brand stakeholders
In my last article for SportsPro, I articulated the importance of applying the market research approach of viewing brands in a product category to athlete brands in a sports category. By doing so, we ensured that the most comprehensive, holistic and inclusive list of global athletes was considered for this year’s 50 Most Marketable Athlete rankings. […]
Why we’re applying a market research lens to SportsPro’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes
For the first time in the 14-year history of SportsPro’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes, we’re applying the market research approach of viewing brands in a product category to athlete brands in a sports category. By doing so, we’ve ensured that we’re considering the most comprehensive, holistic and inclusive list of global athletes for the 2023 […]
Why qualitative research is vital when measuring athlete marketability
This year marks the first time in the 14-year history of SportsPro’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes (50MM) that qualitative research has been integrated with quantitative metrics to determine the final ranking. Doing so has allowed us to continue to raise the bar on providing the most comprehensive understanding of an athlete’s marketability. The integration of […]
The reluctant activist: How Bubba Wallace went from a kid racing cars to driving social change in Nascar
The date is 21st June 2020, and Bubba Wallace is gearing up for the Geico 500, a Nascar Cup Series race held at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, his home state. That evening, Wallace is made aware of a “heinous” discovery near his car by Nascar president Steve Phelps; a noose has been found hanging in his […]