Simone Biles named among 50 Most Marketable Athletes of 2022
Simone Biles was named among the 50 most marketable athletes by SportsPro 50mm. She's one of a few Olympic athletes on the recently released list.
Biles is a seven-time Olympic medalist. Even though she is only 25, she is already tied for the most Olympic medals by an American gymnast. She's most likely going to compete in the Paris Games in 2024.
Star American surfer Bethany Hamilton is also on the list. They're not at the top, but they are considered quite marketable.
.@SportsPro's 50 Most Marketable Athletes of 2022 include @Simone_Biles (#11) & @bethanyhamilton (#34). #SP50MM 50mm.sportspromedia.com/athletes/?utm_… https://t.co/ojweJ8Oxwh
There are a few Olympic athletes who made the list, including Biles. Here's a look at the top 50:
All SportsPro 50mm's marketable athletes
Here is the full list in ranked order:
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Serena Williams
- Lewis Hamilton
- LeBron James
- Lionel Messi
- Naomi Osaka
- Virat Kohli
- Alex Morgan
- Sam Kerr
- Tom Brady
- Simone Biles
- Emma Raducanu
- Alexia Putellas
- Stephen Curry
- Simona Halep
- Rafael Nadal
- Neymar
- Mohamed Salah
- Kylian Mbappe
- Rohit Sharma
- Katie Ledecky
- Chloe Kim
- Roger Federer
- Erling Haaland
- Charles Leclerc
- Candace Parker
- Megan Rapinoe
- Oksana Masters
- Eileen Gu
- Garbine Muguruza
- Karim Benzema
- Bianca Andreescu
- Max Verstappen
- Bethany Hamilton
- George Russell
- Sergio Perez
- Robert Lewandowski
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Sky Brown
- Becky Sauerbrunn
- Sydney McLaughlin
- Mesut Ozil
- Kevin de Bruyne
- Olivia Dunne
- Luka Doncic
- Novak Djokovic
- Katie Taylor
- Rory McIlroy
- Harry Kane
- Marcus Rashford
Only a few Olympic competitors (in bold above) have made the list, which is fabulous and impressive.
How SportsPro 50mm values athletes?
SportsPro 50mm uses a complex formula to determine how marketable an athlete is.
They combine social media statistics, economic valuations, and expert and consumer insights. SportsPro is considered the definitive voice on athlete marketability.
Why it's impressive for Simone Biles to make the list?
Many Olympic athletes are in the public consciousness once every four years. When the Olympics roll around, athletes like Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, Chloe Kim, and Shaun White are on television for the public to watch and cheer on.
However, most of them are not prominent for extended periods every year, unlike Tom Brady, LeBron James, Aaron Judge, or Tiger Woods, who are seen far more often.
Although the Olympics is arguably the height of athletic competition, other leagues are far more mainstream. As a result, many of these athletes are far more marketable than others. James (basketball) and Brady (American football) are longtime heroes of their sports, so they're among the most marketable.
The Olympic athletes on the list released by SportsPro 50mm are at a disadvantage, as they move in and out of the public eye. Nevertheless, their talent puts them on the list, as they're excellent at their respective sport.
Biles may never be as prominent as James, and Hamilton may never be as well-known as Cristiano Ronaldo, but they are just as impressive if not more in their own right.
Olympic athletes do compete year round. They're almost always in a tournament or training for another. They don't leave for four years and come back when the world comes together to compete in the Olympics.
However, these other tournaments are not widely consumed. Many sports fans don't watch these tournaments even though they love and support the athletes during their Olympic runs.
That makes it very impressive for Biles, the gymnast, to be ranked 11th on the SportsPro list.