New York: India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the sole Indian sportsman to figure on Forbes’ list of the world’s most valuable athlete brands, a list that has been topped by American basketball player LeBron James and includes golfer Tiger Woods and tennis stars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Dhoni is ranked fifth with a brand value of USD20 million in 2014, slightly down from USD21 million last year.
Forbes said Dhoni signed bat sponsorship deals with Spartan Sports and Amity University in 2013, reportedly worth a combined USD4 million annually, up from the USD1 mn Reebok was paying. Forbes’s Most Valuable Athlete Brands in Sports lists 10 athletes whose endorsement income exceeded the endorsement income earned by their peers in the past. The NBA’s biggest marketing star pulled in a total of USD53 million from endorsers like Nike, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Upper Deck.
James pulled in USD53 million off the court during the past year and his brand is worth USD37 million, which is the amount his endorsement and non-basketball earnings exceeded the average top 10 off the court earners in the NBA.
Woods is ranked second and has a 2014 brand value of USD36 mn. Woods’ earnings took a hit after Electronic Arts announced in 2013 that it would end its relationship with him and his eponymous video game after 14 versions. On the third spot is Federer, whose brand value in 2014 is USD32 mn. The list also includes Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt (6), Portugal and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo (7), Argentine professional footballer Lionel Messi (9) and Nadal on the 10 position. (PTI)
