Companies

Money From Sport – Not Only for Playing

Published

19 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Daniel Wanburg

Sportsmen and women are among the highest earning celebrities in the world, but not only directly from playing and winning, although this helps when weekly salaries in the $100,000s are seemingly quite common these days in football – both soccer and American football – as a prime example.

When it comes to business, both clubs and individuals are often quite heavily subsidised by endorsements, usually from companies with a direct interest in sport, in particular sportswear manufacturers. Sportsmen and women are often attracted to a club because an endorsement deal can be arranged which considerably enhances their salaries, but that also works as a two-way street – clubs become and remain successful because with the help of endorsements, they can afford to attract and retain the best players, and companies benefit from the exposure they gain from the person’s and the club’s success. Sports people are also further attracted by the prospect of playing with ‘the best”. Of course, this makes endorsements a great marketing and advertising strategy!

There are 10 team players in the top 15 sports people, and only five individuals, by payments, signed to endorsement contracts – two golfers, two tennis players and a track star – and not one of the 15 is a woman: the highest rated is tennis player Maria Sharapova at #17. Eight are Americans, seven being basketball stars. Nike have a stranglehold with nine of the most highly remunerated 15 signed, perhaps unsurprising as the company is consistently ranked in the top 10 most profitable in the world, a clear example of the ‘two-way street’ mentioned above. Adidas has four signature sports people, Puma one and Li Ning one – there is a clear emphasis on footwear.

Table of Contents

There are five sportsmen at joint number 15:

Usain Bolt, Track and Field – Puma – $10 million pa

The Jamaican sprinter known as ‘Lightning Bolt‘ is clearly the current star of track and field. Even aside from winning three gold medals at the last two Olympic Games, his height makes him a stand-out in any crowd at athletics arenas, as does his relaxed demeanour in front of the camera.

Rory McIlroy, Golf – Nike – $10 million pa

The relatively young Irish golfer has been consistently at the top of the leader board in many recent grand-slam of golf tournaments, having won four and over 20 other tournaments in the last five years. He has also been the World Number One ranked player for 95 weeks during this period.

Rafael Nadal, Tennis – Nike – $10 million pa

Since bursting on the world tennis circuit as a 15 year-old in 2001, ‘Rafa‘ has won 14 grand slam tennis tournaments and appeared in six other finals, plus has won over 50 other tournaments including the 2008 Olympic gold medal. He has also spent 141 weeks ranked number one in singles.

Damian Lillard, Basketball – Adidas – $10 million pa

Damian Lillard has played just three full season for the Portland Trailblazers, but was Rookie of the Year, and has bee selected twice for the All-Star game. His contract with Adidas runs for 10 years, but with an average of over 20 points a game, he may feel that a re-negotiation is in order, as he already has a ‘signature’ shoe in production.

Dwyane Wade, Basketball – Li Ning – $10 million pa

Dwyane Wade currently plays for the Miami Heat, and is so popular that for two seasons his playing jersey was the top NBA seller. However, he’s not just a nice guy – he has three NBA championships, and been named to the NBA All-Star game 11 times. Li Ning certainly have an important foot in the sportswear door with this player, especially as GQ magazine has named him the ‘best dressed NBA player’.

Roger Federer, Tennis – Nike – $12 million pa – Nr. 10

Seemingly perennial but still just 34 years-old, the personable winner of 17 grand slam tournaments and the beaten finalist in 10 others, he has won another 70 titles since 1998, with all prize money amounting to almost $100 million. He spent eight years continuously at the number one or two ranking – obviously good value for money to Nike.

Derrick Rose, Basketball – Adidas – $14 million pa – Nr. 9

Basketballers are predominant in the list probably because they are much more in the public eye, normally playing a minimum of 80 games a year – more if playing for a team such as Rose’s Chicago Bulls which regularly reaches the play-offs – and score a lot of points: Rose has a career average of over 20 per game.

Kobe Bryant, Basketball – Nike – $15 million pa – Nr. 8

Kobe has recently announced that the 2015-16 season will be his last, his 20^th at the highest level. Selected 17 times for the All -Star game, a five-time NBA Championship winner, and third on the all-time point-scoring list speaks for the value he brings to both the Los Angeles Lakers and Nike.

Tiger Woods, Golf – Nike – $20 million pa – Nr. 7

His halo has slipped somewhat in recent years, but at number seven Tiger Woods is still a draw-card, having spent 545 weeks at the top of the golf rankings, during which period he won 14 majors, and an incredible 125 other tournaments, beginning in 1997. Many were won by significant margins, ensuring that Tiger was continually in the limelight.

Lionel Messi, Soccer – Adidas – $20 million pa – Nr.6

Of current soccer players, at number six Lion Messi consistently vies for the number one spot in the world, as evidenced by his winning the FIFA Ballon d’Or four times, based on his goal-scoring efforts for Barcelona and Argentina over a 10-year period. Messi averages better than four goals every five games – truly impressive in today’s game.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Soccer – Nike – $21.5 million pa – Nr. 5

Playing for Spanish rivals Real Madrid Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the Ballon d’Or three times, scoring over 500 goals in almost 800 games since 2002 at club and international level, for Portugal, being named their best player of all time.

Kevin Durant, Basketball – Nike – $300 million 2012-24 – Nr. 4

Kevin Durant, who in just eight seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder has won a Most Valuable Player award (NBA), and finished top of the scoring list four times, been selected for six All-Star games, and won an Olympic gold medal. He has the reputation of being a ‘nice guy’, apparently well deserved even with other clubs’ fans, which is certainly a bonus for Nike.

David Beckham, Soccer – Adidas – $160 million – lifetime contract – Nr. 3

Number three David Beckham, is one of the most marketable players, both during and since his playing career, based firstly on skill – particularly his ability to ‘bend’ his passes and shots – but then personality. Incidentally, half his contract money was paid upfront in 2003, and he will be paid percentages of profits by Adidas on all of his branded products, indefinitely.

Michael Jordan, Basketball – Nike, Jordan Brand – up to $100 million pa indefinite – Nr. 2

‘Air Jordan’ Michael Jordan needs no real introduction: his brand is named after his ability to reach enormous heights, especially when scoring for the Chicago Bulls during 13 seasons in over 1,000 games and yielding a career average of over 30 points a game. He remains so popular that his footwear brand is estimated to account for more than 50% of sales of the type – Nike probably never made a better investment.

LeBron James, Basketball – Nike – $500 million (lifetime) – Nr.1

Based on the total amount of payment, at number one is LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers star is regarded as one of the most influential players, his teams – the other has been the Miami Heat – invariably reaching the play-offs and he himself has been selected for the All-Star game in all 11 seasons he has played! Nike have spent wisely, even allowing for an initial $90 million contract before he had even played a game. Nice work if you can get it!

So who else in the world of sport do you think might be worth endorsing, from a marketing and advertising point of view? Do tell!

Daniel Wanburg

As the Managing Editor at Net Worth Post, I lead a talented team in delivering compelling content on the lives and achievements of influential figures. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, I oversee the production of insightful biographies that resonate with our audience. My role involves not only managing the editorial process but also conducting research, crafting engaging narratives, and ensuring the accuracy and quality of our publications. At NetWorthPost, we strive to provide our readers with in-depth profiles that offer valuable insights into the worlds of business, entertainment, and beyond. Through meticulous research and captivating storytelling, we bring to light the remarkable journeys and successes of individuals who inspire and captivate us.

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Companies

BlackBerry Expected to get $500 Million Tax Refund

Published

19 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Daniel Wanburg

BlackBerry is poised to get a huge tax break. Within the 2nd quarter of FY 2014, BlackBerry posted a tax reduction of $965 million, chiefly in the foundation of inventory writedown. But, various other facets of the finances are going to look when some regulatory filings become public. Some of those variables include the prices with remodeling the whole smartphone lineup, laying-off 4, 500 workers and revamping sales and marketing. The business is in the middle of restructuring and is seeking a customer, as revenue of the BlackBerry Z10 touchscreen mobile are lower than expected. It seems, though, that BlackBerry might ultimately be coming out after once having become the darling of the PDA market.

Companies

Net Worth Of The World’s Richest Families

Published

19 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Daniel Wanburg

The richest individuals around the world are constantly in the headlines, partly out of fascination for just how much they are worth – amounts unimaginable to the average person, regardless that 80% of ‘the richest’ are actually self-made billionaires. However, during this period of stock markets’ volatility in early 2016, they are just as newsworthy for how much they can lose, or gain, in one day, which can markedly effect their ranking on the ‘richest list’.

Not so well-known are families with accumulated net worth which puts them close to the aforementioned richest individuals, perhaps unsurprisingly if there are three, four or five relatively ‘super-rich’ relatives who pool their energies, business interests and their net worth. Many are indeed consistently linked in a family business or conglomerate, as can be seen in this list which authoritative sources estimate comprise the richest in the world, share markets allowing! Very few are built on ‘new’ money, but mostly the result of steady growth over, in some cases, hundreds of years.

Table of Contents

10. Cox family Net worth: $34.5 billion

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[/one_half][one_half_last]From: USA

James M. Cox was firstly a social reforming politician, being twice elected Governor of Ohio, but also built a considerable business empire in the media and communications industries beginning before the turn of the 20^th century, so now well over100 years old. Now under the control of James’ daughter Anne Cox Chambers and his grandchildren James Cox Kennedy – current chair of Cox Enterprises – and Blair Parry-Okeden who are all heirs to a considerable fortune, the company is now expanding its interests into the automotive industry.[/one_half_last]

9. Bernard Arnault & family Net worth: $37.7 billion

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[/one_half][one_half_last]From: France

World renowned names Moet Hennessy and Louis Vuitton (LVMH) are just two of the business interests of the Arnault family, which also has interests in retail, yachts and web companies as well as in Christian Dior, a prominent fashion brand. CEO and chairman is still Bernard, but Executive VP at LVMH is daughter Delphine, and CEO of Berluti, a subsidiary of LMVH, is his son Antoine. The company made initial inroads into business through real estate, but smart investing saw it reach its current prominent position in several industries.

Bernard Arnault Net Worth

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8. Liliane Bettencourt & family Net worth: $42.7 billion

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[/one_half][one_half_last]From: France

The French are certainly still one of the fore-runners in the world of cosmetics and perfumes, as proven by their leading lengevity in the industry. The world-dominating cosmetic company L’Oreal is now run by Liliane Bettencourt’s daughter Francoise and grandson Jean-Victor Meyers, but she is still the richest woman in the world and principal shareholder of the company her father Eugene founded in 1907. She only retired from active involvement in 2011, aged 89.

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7. Cargill-MacMillan family Net worth: $45 billion

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[/one_half][one_half_last]From: USA

Cargil Inc. outranks Koch enterprises in being the largest private company in the USA, with and 88% of it still owned by family members, in fact currently boasting 14 billionaires. William Wallace Cargill founded the company based on grain storage in 1865, which was split among his four children when he died in 1909. The company’s interests now include trading commodities as well as food products. In-laws the MacMillans are billionaires, the total wealth of the expanded family being an estimate because of the privacy attendant to the conglomerate.[/one_half_last]

6. Carlos Slim Helú & family Net worth $77.1 billion

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[/one_half][one_half_last]From: Mexico

Son Carlos is now the chairman of Grupo Carso, and with three siblings is ready to take over completely the conglomerate built-up by the second richest person in the world. The ‘Warren Buffett of Mexico’, Carlos Slim Helú is so important to Mexico – accounting for 40% of the listings on the Mexican stock exchange – made from scratch largely from his development of telecoms, that there is a strong chance of the Mexican economy collapsing if the stock exchange took a real dive.

Carlos Slim Helu Net Worth

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5. Mars family Net worth: $80 billion

[one_half]

[/one_half][one_half_last]From: USA

Mars Bars and M & Ms were developed more than 80 years ago, and are still going strong. Franklin Mars obviously knew his candy, and the money to be made out of it. As with other rich families, the family and the business are still private. Franklin founded the business in 1911, and son Forrest Sr. joined the company in 1929; children, Forrest Jr., Jacqueline and John continue to own the whole of Mars Inc., which now also makes pet foods as well as pasta sauces, and which means that they are now worth almost $30 billion each.

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4. Koch family Net worth: $89 billion

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[/one_half][one_half_last]From: USA

In the country with the world’s largest GDP, Koch Industries is now the second-largest privately-held company in the USA. Charles and David Koch had the nous to buy-out their two other brothers in the early 1980s, and now control the oil and refining company founded by their father Fred C. Koch in 1940. Subsidiary interests in finance, manufacturing, trading and real estate have ensured the continued growth of this multinational corporation, with the brothers net worth now approaching $50 billion each.

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3. Walton family Net worth: $152 billion

[one_half]

[/one_half][one_half_last]From: USA

Jim, Rob, and Alice are direct heirs of Sam and James Walton, who had the foresight to establish Walmart in the southern USA in 1962. Christy is the widow of his son John who died in a ‘plane crash in 2005, and with her children the six Waltons control 54% of the shares of the world’s largest retailer. The company’s revenue regularly hits $500 billion, through 11,500 stores in 28 countries, so the present owners sum value is usually over $160 billion – share market machinations permitting!

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2. The House of Saud Net worth: $1.4 trillion

[one_half]

[/one_half][one_half_last]From: Saudi Arabia

The al-Saud family have been in control of at least part of the Arabian peninsular since the early 1700s, and like the Rothschilds, their wealth is now distributed through so many family members that the total can only be estimated. Saudi Arabia is now run as an absolute monarchy, effectively established under the patronage of the British following the break-up of the Ottoman empire after World War One. Of course their main source of wealth is oil, the price of which has a very significant effect on the al-Saud family wealth, and the budget of the country! Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud has been king since early 2015.

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1. Rothschild family $350 billion – $700 trillion

[one_half]

[/one_half][one_half_last]From: Germany (originally)

The name itself is fascinating, but more so because the family is now so widespread, with all their wealth effectively ‘private’, so the total of their net worth is always open to conjecture. However, since Mayer Amschel Rothschild established his banking company in Frankfurt, now Germany, in the 1700s, and distributed his five sons to the five centres of European finance, the family has had a finger in virtually every pie – business, industry, enterprise, exploration, war – over the last 250 years. Their influence has been such that descendents have been elevated to royal rank in countries such as Austria and the UK. The family fortune is therefore only an estimate, but even at the lower end it is still extremely impressive!

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