domingo, 21 de febrero de 2016
Being the Best Pays Off (Literally)
In what is considered to be the oldest and most prestigious tournament in the world, the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, lucrative endorsement contracts seems to be where these athletes make a majority of their money. The goal for these tennis players is obviously to win Wimbledon and with that they would get prize money of 2.74 Million Dollars. However the endorsement possibilities that they rack up are is what's really keeping them afloat. For example Rafael Nadal, a spanish tennis player made 28 Million dollars in endorsements alone. He represents companies such as Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, and Richard Mille. A perfect example of representation is on game day. He will come out on court wearing a 1 million dollar Richard Mille watch and even play in it, all while dressed in Nike from head to toe. What are some pros and cons to making more from endorsement deals versus the official matches?
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The money involved in endorsing athletes is astronomical. I would say the primary con is the fact that when the money is distorted to this level, certain athletes may find themselves less interested in what should be their primary goal, winning. However, for a majority of athletes endorsed to this level, this is not the case. Winning tournaments/matches/games is still what keeps them motivated and the money from endorsements is what makes them capable of living such lavish lifestyles and staying in the public eye. As long as they are not in the public eye for bad reasons, this constant attention is part of what endorsers are paying for, i.e. more than just the athletes time on the field.
ResponderEliminarThere is no question that endorsements of professional athletes are incredibly lucrative. As is the case with Nadal, endorsements often offer substantially more money than player contracts or tournament winnings do. While the argument can be made that people are motivated by monetary gains, I personally do not believe this is the only motivator for athletes. Professional athletes play their respective sports for the love of the game and the love of winning. As such, I do not think that endorsements are detrimental to the motivation of athletes to succeed.
ResponderEliminarHere's an article that discusses endorsement deals with other professional athletes, including even more staggering figures:
http://www.ibtimes.com/top-10-sports-endorsements-deals-michael-jordan-still-no-1-richest-athlete-endorser-after-1665548
-Ryan Ladell
I am glad that you introduced this idea as I have been thinking about it for a while now. Sports has continuously emerged to focus more on endorsements and less about the competition. Especially in sports that entail 1 on 1 competition, such as tennis, everyone is focused on what companies the players are representing through their clothes, watches, and even socks. Furthermore, in basketball, Instagram and Snapchat highlight the players shoe brands and under shirts prior to tip off rather than taking that time to break down analytical aspects of the game such as shooting percentage. This clearly shows that sports are more of a business than people think.
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