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Follow on Google News | Usain Bolt Is World’s Most Marketable SportsmanOlympic and World Champion sprinter Usain Bolt is the most marketable sportsman on the planet according to the SportsPro 50 Most Marketable 2011.
By: Calacus 
SportsPro • Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, David Beckham, Michael Schumacher, Serena Williams & Thierry Henry miss out • Only five women make top 50 while basketball, motorsport and soccer dominate the rankings LONDON, May 16, 2011 – Olympic and World Champion sprinter Usain Bolt is the most marketable sportsman on the planet according to the SportsPro 50 Most Marketable 2011. Bolt moves up from fourth place last year and replaces NBA and Miami Heat star LeBron James who topped the analysis in 2010. The SportsPro 50 Most Marketable 2011, published in the June edition of SportsPro magazine, rates athletes from across the world who have been ranked according to their marketing potential over a three-year period from this summer. The key tenet of the list is the search for value for marketing money. As such, the likes of Roger Federer, Thierry Henry, David Beckham and Michael Schumacher – global household names and hugely marketable individuals – are not included in the rankings as the cost of an endorsement with them is likely to be at its peak or, indeed, on the wane. SportsPro editor David Cushnan said: “Bolt is simply a colossus. In the build up to next year’s Games in London, the Jamaican will indubitably be front and centre. There is great expectation that his performances in London next year will define the 2012 Olympic Games. “LeBron James still has huge marketability despite the negativity he attracted with his ‘decision’ With 16 new entries, this year’s kaleidoscope of sporting talent sparkles very much in the growing light of next year’s Olympic Games. Jessica Ennis, likely to be the face of the London Games, Tyson Gay, Michael Phelps and, to some extent, Mark Cavendish are all included because of their likely prominence in the build-up to London 2012. Liu Xiang, Lin Dan and Yao Ming more or less retain their positions in the rankings because of the Asian focus they will draw come next summer. New Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel and NBA star Carmelo Anthony are the joint highest risers in the list, both climbing into the top ten after career-defining years. Anthony’s mid-season move from the Denver Nuggets to the New York Knicks means that one of the most consistent performers in the NBA is now in one of its biggest markets. Vettel transformed potential into achievement last year as he became Formula One’s youngest ever world champion. The German can look forward to a long rivalry with Lewis Hamilton, the Briton who held his position as the fifth most marketable athlete in the list this year. Although he lost out to Vettel on the track, Hamilton’s deal with Simon Fuller’s XIX Entertainment management agency and his pop star girlfriend guarantee a wide appeal outside of the cockpit. Tiger Woods, who was third in last year’s list, has failed to win a single tournament since his comeback in April last year while another 2010 top ten entry also conspicuous by her absence is Serena Williams. Blighted by injury in recent months, she simply does not play enough WTA Tour events to warrant inclusion on this list. There are just five female athletes on the list. Leaving aside the obvious and growing commercial attraction of female tennis players, it is difficult to see where or if that trend will be broken in the coming years. The only female in the top ten is ninth-placed Caroline Wozniacki, who reached the top of the world rankings in 2010 despite not having won a Grand Slam. She signed a range of deals in the past year and her earning potential will only increase if she finally wins one of the four major championships. Despite winning the FIFA World Cup 2010™, no member from champions Spain makes the list. Footballers do make third and fourth place in the list, though. While many consider Barcelona’s Lionel Messi to be the greatest footballer of his generation, he is pipped into fourth behind Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese player’s appeal transcends football and his colourful lifestyle attracts media interest in the front pages as well as the back. Cushnan added: “Spain may have won the World Cup but commercially, their collective success is greater than the sum of the team’s parts. Despite the plethora of individual talent, it’s interesting to note that the most marketable footballers play in Spain rather than for them.” ENDS NOTES TO EDITORS The SportsPro 50 Most Marketable 2011 comprises the top 50 athletes deemed by SportsPro magazine to offer value for marketing money if signed today to a long-term global endorsement deal. As the sports landscape has shifted over the last 12 months, so has the make-up of these unique rankings. Athletes from across the world have been ranked according to their marketing potential over a three-year period from this summer. Clearly, when evaluating ‘potential’ As was the case last year, the list has been designed and compiled to shed light on where the value might lie across the industry, and as a basis for discussion – both a snapshot of the moment and a three-year forecast. The full list, plus comprehensive commercial analysis of each and every athlete, detailing their inclusion on this year’s list and explaining their ranking, will be published in the June edition of SportsPro. SportsPro 50 Most Marketable 2011 1. Usain Bolt 26. Ryo Ishikawa 2. LeBron James 27. Sidney Crosby 3. Cristiano Ronaldo 4. Lionel Messi 29. Tyson Gay 5. Lewis Hamilton 6. Carmelo Anthony 7. Sebastian Vettel 8. Michael Phelps 9. Caroline Wozniacki 10. MS Dhoni 35. Mark Cavendish 11. Yao Ming 36. Travis Pastrana 12. Jessica Ennis 37. Mark Sanchez 13. Kobe Bryant 14. Shaun White 39. Valentino Rossi 15. Dwyane Wade 40. Anderson Silva 16. Raphael Nadal 41. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 17. Neymar 18. Tom Brady 43. Dan Carter 19. Liu Xiang 44.Tim Tebow 20. Manny Paquiao 21. Rory McIlroy 22. Maria Sharapova 23. Alex Ovechkin 24. Fernando Alonso 25. Albert Pujols Nationalities Sports 19 American 6 British 3 Chinese 2 Japanese 2 Spanish 2 Brazilian 2 German 2 Indian 2 Russian 1 Cameroonian 2 Cricket 1 New Zealander 1 Canadian 1 Dominican 1 Italian 1 Argentinian 1 MMA 1 Filipino 1 Jamaican 1 Portuguese 1 Danish 45 Male 5 Female About SportsPro Media SportsPro Media delivers the latest news and insights from the business of sport through SportsPro magazine, the SportsPro DailyDeal e-bulletin and the website www.sportspromedia.com. SportsPro has become the most highly respected premium monthly magazine for the finance, business and sponsorship industry behind the world’s major sports. Published eleven times a year, the magazine is targeted specifically at the senior decision-makers and executives who determine the future development of the world’s major sporting competitions, events and properties. # # # Calacus PR was established in 2007 by David Alexander, a former national and international sports journalist. Calacus has expertise in international sports campaigns, media relations, consumer and corporate consultancy and athlete representation. End
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