What is the first brand that comes to your mind? Nike, Starbucks, maybe Target? What if I said Stephen Curry, Patrick Mahomes or Serena Williams?
Athletes across all sports and leagues have perfected the art of turning their personality, platform, talents and name into a brand. Sports figures are no longer known just for the sport they play or team they play for – they are entrepreneurs known for their media companies, venture capital firms, restaurants, health and beauty brands and more.
Sports endorsements became the foundation of athlete branding starting back in the early 1900s with Honus Wagner allowing Louisville Slugger to print his signature on their bats. That changed sports history forever.
In the modern era, Michael Jordan’s deal with Nike propelled the space forward. That has been known as the best sports deal in history and further redefined athlete branding.
While endorsements still make up an athlete’s brand, they incorporate much more than that. With the help of social media, athletes are more connected with their fans than ever before. Social platforms give athletes an effective space to share their lifestyle and promote endorsements and products.
Today, athletes have taken an entrepreneurial approach by incorporating key elements of a traditional brand – similar to what we uncover in our Brand Dig process – into their personal brand. They consider a brand position, vision, statement, personality and strategy to create better connections with fans and generate revenue.
Those elements paired with an athlete’s style, interest and values make them extremely influential and can prove to be extremely lucrative.
A great example of this is Lebron James. He is not only the NBA all-time leading scorer, a 4x NBA Champion, 20x NBA All-Star, 4x NBA MVP, and the list goes on, he is a brand builder. Lebron has leveraged his incredible talent to shape his personal brand. Each of his endeavors are centered around his platform of being relatable, authentic and consistent.
The combination of his on-court success and business savvy makes him the most followed athlete on social media with more than 230 million followers, a net worth over $1 billion and massive influence.
Athletes have become people that we admire, follow and support. The impressive use of their platforms, athletic ability and traditional branding techniques have made their personal brands some of the largest, most successful brands in the world.
