The 5 biggest sponsorship deals in sports

Businesses around the world try to reach customers by using sports stars as billboards. Oftentimes the amount of money invested in these athletes is for us consumers not comprehensible. But in some cases the athlete is more popular then the brand!

Make up your own mind on whether or not the following sponsorship deals actually help the brand or not. Does sponsorship influence your buying behavior?

5) Tiger Woods & Nike (Golf)

4) George Foreman & Salton Inc. (Boxing)

3) David Beckham & Adidas (Soccer)

2) Derrick Rose & Adidas (Basketball)

1) Michael Jordan & Nike (Basketball)  

While there are only estimates for the amounts of money made through and paid to the athletes these 5 examples are certainly some of the most lucrative ones of all time. Other examples include basketball players Lebron James and Kobe Bryant or soccer players Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo which knowingly increased Nike's sportswear sales as well as brand recognition by a lot. The fact that both Adidas and Nike are so well represented in this list makes us doubt whether all this money is well spent on the one hand, on the other hand it might be the reason why we think of those two brand when we think about sportswear. Also, of course it is easier to identify with sportswear advertised by an athlete than with a electronic device or alike.

Sponsorship is more than a cost benefit analysis. It is primarily a tool for brand recognition. Therefore a huge sponsorship deal with Michael Jordan seemed inappropriate in the past, today it certainly still pays off for both sides.