With the development of the times, the performance in the stadium is not the only factor that determines the value of athletes. “Dare to speak, can speak” is becoming more and more important.
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Text/Ma Jenny
Recently, SportsPro announced the list of the most marketable athletes in 2023. Messi took the top spot with a score of 94.81 (out of a total score of 100), followed by lebron james, and American female soccer player Alex ranked third.
The top ten list is as follows:
This year’s list examines the market value of athletes from three aspects: brand strength, accessible market and economic strength, with a total of 100 points. Brand strength is determined by personal factors such as player’s risk, reputation and sports performance, and the accessible market is based on overall coverage, audience participation and sponsors, while economic strength is the overall evaluation of athletes’ market value, evaluation and social participation.
A total of four female athletes appeared in the top ten list this year. In the top 20 list, female athletes account for 50%, including 4 football players and 3 tennis players, and the other three are athletes in winter sports, gymnastics and basketball respectively; There are 23 female athletes in the top 50.
Source: SportsPro report screenshot
Compared with last year’s list, two women were added to Top20, and the market value evaluation of female athletes showed an overall upward trend. It is a fact that the value of women’s sports in the world is constantly rising, but what do these female athletes rely on besides their achievements to enter the top ten?
The performance on the sports field is necessarily the crucial foundation. In the sports market dominated by male athletes, the hard strength of female athletes is necessary for them to break through the world. All the women in the top ten list are top players in their respective fields.
Alex Morgan, ranked third in the world, helped the American women’s national team win two World Cups, and won the first and second place in the Olympic Games successively. She is a well-deserved women’s football star. Megan rapino, who followed closely, also had a brilliant career. In her nearly 20-year football career, she played 203 times for the American national team, participated in the World Cup twice and won an Olympic gold medal.
NBA star Curry once praised Alex’s championship photo.
Source: @Alex Morgan
Alpine skier Schifflin and gymnast byers are almost absolute “queens” in their respective fields. The former completed the feat of 87 crowns this year, surpassing the record of 86 crowns of Swedish legend Ingmar Steenmark and becoming the first person in alpine skiing history; Recently, the latter has just surpassed Shirber, the famous Baros, and become the athlete who won the most medals in the World Championships and the Olympic Games in gymnastics history.
But the reason why these people can break through is not just the results of the stadium. Nowadays, the image and behavior of players outside the stadium are becoming the key aspects that affect the market value of athletes. It can be said that fans in this era and this era need not only a player, but also a “fresh person”.
Alex is regarded by many as the female version of Beckham in football, which shows her charm outside the stadium. With a good face, she shoots swimsuit photos for Sports Illustrated to show her strong body, participates in movies to tell the story of girls’ football dreams, and publishes books on football and teamwork for teenagers … This is not only her practice of making full use of her personal values, but also an important way to present multiple selves and consolidate her own market value.
The motto of alpine skiing queen Schiffling’s “ABFTTB (Always Be Faster Than the Boys)” is not only a reflection of her personal image, but also a true portrayal of the pursuit of “female power” by female athletes and even female groups. This kind of female spirit of continuous progress and breakthrough is undoubtedly the side that the market values.
Source: IOC official website
Athletes’ responses and behaviors in social affairs are increasingly affecting their commercial value. For women, striving for gender equality in sports is a matter of great concern. Alex, Rapino and byers, who rank in the top ten of the list, are all female representatives who dare to speak out in this respect.
Rapino has been striving for equal pay for equal work at the women’s football level, and has long been a voice for racial justice and minority rights. In 2016, she was also one of the first white athletes to kneel in support of NFL player Colin Kaepernick when playing the national anthem.
Rapino once said, “Compared with what we have achieved off the court, everything I have done on the court is insignificant. In this era, it is becoming the consensus of more and more athletes to know their influence in the stadium and to be determined to change society and support the unequal scene through this power.
Source: @Megan Rapinoe
Alex also sued the American Football Association for gender discrimination with his teammates, and finally reached a landmark settlement agreement with the American Football Association in February 2022. According to the terms of the agreement, the Federation will pay $24 million to the members of the American women’s national team.
According to the Guardian, when the children on the scene were asked why they liked Rapino, 11-year-old Levin marquardt replied, “She is very brave. I don’t think many people will share their feelings while playing football, they just play football. “
For the younger generation, athletes who dare to show themselves and share their feelings always seem to have a more real and close feeling. When byers was determined to face up to the mental health problems on the field, there was controversy, but more people thought that she had uncovered the psychological challenges that everyone might encounter and became a representative of advocating health.
Source: @ simone _ bile
In the case of Larry Nasser, the former team doctor of the United States Olympic Committee, who violated female athletes, byers bravely stood up and accused the other side, and criticized the American gymnastics system for conniving and turning a blind eye to it. Although this series of public voices has brought controversy, it has more become the driving force for byers to leap into the top ten.
There is no doubt that the market value of players depends not only on the strength on the field. Compared with the era of “playing god”, the personality of players who dare to speak out and show off the court is becoming an important factor for them to be recognized by sports fans and the market.
On the list, Naomi Osaka, Ailing Gu and others are also female athletes who actively use their influence and platform to constantly pursue the significance beyond sports. These people are showing us the women’s power in the new era and are also the backbone of women’s pursuit of equality and development.
According to the 2022 Women’s Sports Report published by Sponsor United, the sponsorship of American women’s professional sports increased by 20% within one year. It can be said that women’s sports are sweeping the world with vigorous development, and the performance of female athletes in this list is enough to illustrate this point.
As more female athletes are seen and heard, it is believed that women’s sports around the world will continue to gain development opportunities.