Now in its 14th year, this highly anticipated ranking considers the dynamic nature of athlete marketability in the digital age, applying an advanced science that goes beyond vanity metrics to measure which sports stars offer the most value to brands today.
In collaboration with NorthStar Solutions Group, our robust and multi-dimensional methodology has been developed to provide the most comprehensive assessment of athlete marketability in the sports industry. We have blended extensive data analysis, advanced social media monitoring, economic valuations, and qualitative research to bring you this definitive list of the Most Marketable Athletes of 2023.
The robust and multi-dimensional methodology that has been developed between SportsPro and NorthStar provides the most comprehensive assessment of athlete marketability in the sports industry.
We have blended extensive data analysis, advanced social media monitoring, economic valuations, and qualitative research to bring you this definitive list of the Most Marketable Athletes of 2023.
The process was comprised of three key stages:
1. Viewing sports as product categories – we cast the widest net possible to arrive at the most comprehensive universe of sports categories to consider. We then applied layers of quantitative and qualitative criteria to narrow this list to approximately a couple hundred sports categories from which to pull the top ranked athletes.
2. Integrating qualitative research into athlete marketability measurement – through qualitative research, we’ve been able to obtain a rich, storytelling understanding of what athletes are saying or expressing on a variety of topics essential to measuring athlete marketability that can’t be captured in quantitative measurements or through automated processes.
3. Applying the model – Upon applying layers of qualitative and quantitative analytics on the full universe of athletes, we ultimately narrowed down the final list to 125 global athletes that were active during the evaluation period. We then applied 16 qualitative and quantitative drivers to each of the 125 athletes; the sum of which equals an athlete’s Total Marketability Score (out of 100), which determined the final rankings.
You can read the full methodology here.
Each athlete’s Total Marketability Score is quantified as the sum of three weighted pillars:
1. Athlete Brand Strength (35%)
2. Total Addressable Market (45%)
3. ECON – Triple Bottom Line (20%)
Comprised of six distinct drivers, the Athlete Brand Strength pillar encompasses individual attributes such as authenticity, risk and reputation, in-sport performance, presentation, momentum, and each athlete’s purpose, mission and values.
Comprised of seven quantitative and qualitative drivers, the Total Addressable Market pillar encompasses factors such as overall reach, attention growth, social sentiment, audience engagement, and sponsor, sport and team awareness.
Comprising three key drivers, the ECON – Triple Bottom Line pillar incorporates an athlete’s market value and estimated worth, their public support for environmental causes, and the extent to which they generate social and community benefits through their actions, influence and engagement.
Download the PDF here to see if they’ve made the top 125!
Please get in contact with NorthStar by emailing collaborate@northstarsg.com.
