Usain Bolt Ranks as 5th Most Marketable Athlete Globally
Jamaica’s global sprint superstar Usain Bolt is the fifth most marketable athlete in the world according to a ranking compiled by the popular website SportsPro.com.
The six-time Olympic gold medalist is one of only two track and field stars along with Kenyan world 800 meters record holder David Rudisha who holds the number 41 spot on the list of 50.
The number one spot on the list is held by Brazilian wonder-kid Neymar ahead of Barcelona and Argentina midfielder Lionel Messi.
Golfer Rory McIlroy, and Rookie NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III of the Washington Redskins are 3rd and 4threspectively.
David Cushnan, SportsPro editor-in-chief, explains that there are three key reasons why Neymar, who also topped the list last year, earned his position.
‘Essentially the crux of it is we are trying to predict marketing value over the next three years. We’re trying to forecast who is going to be worth investing from a sponsorship point of view but also who perhaps offers real value for money.
‘Our feeling is that Neymar has the World Cup coming up next year, where he’s going to be the star at home, he’s a megastar in Brazil.
‘He still has this big move to come, probably to Barcelona, that will launch him to whole new level of fame. And there is no doubt that Messi is the more talented player but you can make the argument he is not particularly charismatic off the pitch, not animated or confident in front of the camera.
The top 10 is rounded out by Novak Djokovic, Lewis Hamilton, Cristiano Ronaldo, American teenage tennis player Sloane Stephens and NBA star Blake Griffin.
Other notable names include world number one golfer Tiger Woods who is ranked 11th, Indian cricketer Virat Kohli 13 and NBA superstar Lebron James 14.
The athletes were ranked according to their marketing potential over a three-year period from this summer.
The criteria include value for money, age, home market, charisma, willingness to be marketed, and crossover appeal.
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