The ndia skipper is 10th in the 50 most marketable sportspersons in the world and is ahead of the tennis and NBA stars; Bolt, LeBron James top the list; Yuvraj is 49th.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the most marketable Asian sport star, according to London-based SportsPro magazine. The India captain’s marketability is higher than international sporting icons like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Kobe Bryant.
“Dhoni has undeniably become the player that sponsors opt for to endorse their brand in the south-eastern Asian country,” it says. “Without question though, in the immediate aftermath of the World Cup and the IPL, Dhoni’s marketability will reach a new high in India, and everyone will want a piece of its new national hero,” says the magazine, which has listed out 50 most marketable sportspersons of the year. Dhoni is 10th on the list.
Leading the poll is Usain Bolt, who moves up from fourth place last year and replaces NBA star LeBron James who topped the analysis in 2010.
“Although he will never attain quite the Messianic status that Sachin Tendulkar has with the Indian population, Dhoni has undeniably become the number one choice for those looking to boost their brand in the south-eastern Asian country,” says the magazine. “The main point of the list was to find out where the value for money might lie. It is not supposed to be a ranking of the wealthiest people in sport, or even the most popular but simply who represents a good investment from a sports sponsor’s perspective,” the magazine says. Dhoni endorses 23 brands, including Reebok, Pepsi and Lays. He has been guaranteed a minimum earning of US$19 million over the next three years.
Yuvraj Singh, man of the tournament in the World Cup, is 49th in the list. Of all those caught in Indian cricket’s rising tide, Yuvraj looks set to be lifted the highest. “He was popular enough among the national team’s devoted following before being named player of the tournament at this year’s World Cup; with his transformation from free-scoring all-rounder to bona-fide national hero, brands are said to be forming a disorderly queue,” the magazine says.
Yuvraj reportedly earns as much as US$1 million per deal from the likes of Reebok, Fiat and Seagram’s Royal Stag and it is anticipated that at least a 30 per cent jump in his endorsement fees.
“For companies wary of the corporate haze around Dhoni and the deified Tendulkar, Yuvraj is perhaps the best available option. A lead role in upcoming animation feature Captain India offers a route to Bollywood, and with over 440,000 followers on social networking site Twitter — nearly 200,000 more than Dhoni — he can reach out to the sprawling Indian diaspora too. As captain of expansion Pune Warriors, Yuvraj is also central to the commercial fortunes of that sponsors’ paradise,” the magazine points out.
The key tenet of the list is the search for value for marketing money. As such, it is pointed out, the likes of Roger Federer, David Beckham and Michael Schumacher — household names and hugely marketable individuals — are not included in the rankings as the cost of an endorsement with them is likely to be at its peak or, indeed, on the wane.
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