I decided to do come up with my own list of who are the world’s top three marketable athletes. Marketable does not necessarily mean best because it is difficult to compare who is the best athlete when there are so many competing in different sports. I feel the most talented athlete in the world could have a hard time selling ice to an Eskimo. The list that I am going to come up with is based on my opinion of who can generate the most marketing dollars for a company if they signed a endorsement deal with the company today. I think the first thing a company should look at before signing a major athlete to an endorsement deal is the long term potential the client can offer.
Over the last two years the name Usain Bolt caught many peoples attention. Mostly because he is the fastest man in the world and at the same time his last name Bolt is catchy. I feel that companies can use him to sell products based on those two factors. The next athlete I feel could generate marketing dollars for a company is LeBron James. LeBron James is arguably the best basketball player in the world so with that title attached to any product is a plus. James has endorsement contracts with Nike, Sprite, Glaceau, Bubblicious, Upper Deck, McDonalds, and Audemar Piguet just to name a few. The only down side to having LeBron attached to your product is the decision he made to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and sign to the Miami Heat. Many people didn’t like the way LeBron left the organization and might not buy your product based solely on his decision to leave. But overall signing LeBron James is a win-win for any company. The final athlete on my list is David Beckham. I feel that Beckham has the charisma necessary to sell products and at the same time he is one of the most talented soccer players in the world. By signing David Beckham to your company you are gaining exposure to your product because soccer is the most watched sport in the world. Therefore, I like to call Beckham a global sponsors cause soccer is watched globally. My honorable mention athlete is Tiger Woods. Even though Tiger had his sex scandal I still feel he has the potential to help sell products. Tiger Woods has a million dollar smile and for the past dozen years he has dominated the sport of golf. He has the ability to relate to a company that has been through tough times and is on a come back.
