The 100 Highest-Paid Athlete Endorsers, 75-51
Last week we kicked off the countdown with numbers 100-76. Let’s continue the countdown with numbers 75-51.
*Note: For the purposes of this article, ‘Follower Value’ is a metric used to assess the overall ability of an athlete to capitalize on their social media presence. If an athlete has a high follower value, it indicates they have managed to land big endorsement deals with a relatively small online influence. Brands who partner with athletes with a low follower value are getting the most value out of their endorsers, reaching a larger audience with less dollars.
75. Joe Johnson | NBA | Brooklyn Nets
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $1,000,000
Twitter Followers: 165,740
Follower Value: $6.03
opendorse reasoning: The six-time NBA All-Star has averaged 18 points per game throughout his career, which led to an endorsement deal with Nike and contributed to him becoming a Jordan Brand athlete.
74. Johan Santana | MLB | Free Agent
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $1,000,000
Twitter Followers: 179,592
Follower Value: $5.57
opendorse reasoning: Santana won the pitching Triple Crown (ERA, strikeouts, wins) in 2006. His endorsement with New Balance also partners with the Johan Santana Foundation, which raises funds to build awareness of skin cancer risk factors and symptoms.
73. Josh Hamilton | MLB | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $1,000,000
Twitter Followers: 252,653
Follower Value: $3.96
opendorse reasoning: Vita Coco signed Hamilton to a one year endorsement contract in 2012 after he became just the 16th player in MLB history to hit four home runs in one game. “Josh Hamilton is an extraordinary athlete with an inspiring story,” said Vita Coco CEO and co-founder Michael Kirban, “and we have faith that consumers will connect to him and Vita Coco in this new campaign.” In 2013, Vita & Hamilton renewed their contract for another year.
72. Calvin Johnson | NFL | Detroit Lions
Yearly Endorsement Earning: $1,000,000
Twitter Followers: 344,504
Follower Value: $2.90
opendorse reasoning: In 2012 EA Sports featured “Megatron” on the cover of Madden 13. Johnson responded by breaking the Madden Cover Curse by hauling in 1,964 receiving yards en route to breaking Jerry Rice’s single-season receiving record. He also has endorsements with Acura, Nike and Eastbay.
71. CC Sabathia | MLB | New York Yankees
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $1,000,000
Twitter Followers: 365,308
Follower Value: $2.74
opendorse reasoning: The Yankees’ ace has a Cy Young Award, World Series Championship, six All-Star selections and he has never had more losses in a season than he has won. For those impressive feats he has endorsement deals with Nike, Pepsi, Sony, Topps and Jordan Brand.
70. Justin Verlander | MLB | Detroit Tigers
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $1,000,000
Twitter Followers: 423,336
Follower Value: $2.36
opendorse reasoning: Verlander’s fastball has clocked out at 102 mph! Add to that a deadly curve, circle change and slider and you’ve got the makings of one of the most dominant and decorated pitchers in the game. He has endorsement deals with Reebok and Phiten.
69. Clay Matthews | NFL | Green Bay Packers
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $1,000,000
Twitter Followers: 641,847
Follower Value: $1.56
opendorse reasoning: “Endorsements give you opportunities to pursue other avenues when the game is done,” said Matthews. The two-time All-Pro, Super Bowl Champion and 2010 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, shows his sense of humor and why he is one of the most marketable athletes in endorsements with Fathead, Nike, Verizon, Muscle Milk and Gillette.
68. Rudy Gay | NBA | Toronto Raptors
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $1,000,000
Twitter Followers: 909,103
Follower Value: $1.10
opendorse reasoning: “I’m the type of guy who will listen to music on the way to the gym, in the gym and walking out,” says Gay. His training sessions don’t miss a beat thanks to his endorsement deal with Polk Audio.
67. Dirk Nowitzki | NBA | Dallas Mavericks
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $1,000,000
Twitter Followers: 1,012,027
Follower Value: $0.99
opendorse reasoning: After winning the NBA Championship in 2011, Nowitzki re-signed with the Mavericks for less money than other free agency offers. The career long Dallas Maverick has a sneaker endorsement with Nike.
66. Louie Vito | Snowboarding
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $1,750,000
Twitter Followers: 63,172
Follower Value: $27.70
opendorse reasoning: In eighth grade Vito moved from Ohio to Vermont so he could attend the Stratton Mountain School. There he snowboarded in the morning and attended classes in the afternoons. Since graduating Vito already has five X-Games medals and has won four of the past five U.s. Snowboarding Grand Prix Overall Championships. He has endorsements with G-Shock, Red Bull, Nike, Sprint and Toyota.
65. Brandt Snedeker | PGA Tour
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $2,000,000
Twitter Followers: 104,641
Follower Value: $19.11
opendorse reasoning: Snedeker won the PGA Tour Championship in 2012, finishing just ahead of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. He has endorsements with MasterCard and Bridgestone.
64. Carlos Tevez | Serie A | Juventus
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $2,000,000
Twitter Followers: 278,486
Follower Value: $7.18
opendorse reasoning: In 2012 Tevez helped Manchester City win its first league title in 44 years. It’s hard to miss his boot endorsement with Nike.
63. Miguel Cabrera | MLB | Detroit Tigers
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $2,000,000
Twitter Followers: 329,849
Follower Value: $6.06
opendorse reasoning: “Miggy” is one of the best hitters in the history of baseball. In 2012 he won the AL Triple Crown (average, home runs and RBI’s) in batting. He picked up AL MVP honors in 2011 and 2012 to go along with his five Silver Slugger awards. He has an endorsement with New Balance and Sony chose to use him as the cover athlete for MLB: The Show 14.
62. Ray Rice | NFL | Baltimore Ravens
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $2,000,000
Twitter Followers: 531,207
Follower Value: $3.77
opendorse reasoning: Rice is coming off a Super Bowl victory and has exceeded 1,100 yards in each of the last four seasons. All that rushing works up a thirst which is why Ray chose to become a partner and investor with BODYARMOR SuperDrink.
61. Deron Williams | NBA | Brooklyn Nets
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $2,000,000
Twitter Followers: 608,950
Follower Value: $3.28
opendorse reasoning: In 2012 D-Will signed a five year contract to stay in Brooklyn on an iPad, making him the first athlete to do so. He announced the signing via Twitter where he also provides endorsements for Nike, Red Bull, American Express and MetroPCS Communications.
60. Chris Bosh | NBA | Miami Heat
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $2,000,000
Twitter Followers: 1,405,116
Follower Value: $1.42
opendorse reasoning: The Big Three just won their second NBA title and have been stealing the NBA spotlight ever since they assembled in Miami. Bosh, the 6’11” center, keeps his bones and muscles strong thanks to an endorsement with Got Milk? The father of three can also be seen with his son in Foot Locker endorsements.
59. Lewis Hamilton | Formula 1 | Mercedes AMG
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $2,000,000
Twitter Followers: 1,793,439
Follower Value: $1.12
opendorse reasoning: In his first season racing in Formula 1, Hamilton finished second in the 2007 Formula 1 Championship. The following season Hamilton won the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship. He has an endorsement with watch manufacturer Tag Heuer.
58. Fernando Alonso | Formula 1 | Scuderia Ferrari
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $2,000,000
Twitter Followers: 1,876,736
Follower Value: $1.07
opendorse reasoning: In 2005 Alonso became the youngest person at the time to win the Formula 1 Championship. He went on to win the championship again in 2006 making him the youngest two time champion at the time. Alonso has an endorsement with Oakley saying “Oakley has vision – continually striving for excellence through technology and innovation… traits which are of paramount importance to world class athletes including drivers within F1 circles.”
57. Paul Pierce | NBA | Brooklyn Nets
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $2,000,000
Twitter Followers: 2,935,437
Follower Value: $0.68
opendorse reasoning: The 10-time NBA All-Star was named NBA Finals MVP in 2008 after he led the Boston Celtics to their 17th NBA Championship. Pierce aka “The Truth” teaches you to Talk Boston in endorsements with Dish Network. He also has an endorsement with Nike.
56. Frank Lampard | Premier League | Chelsea Football Club
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $2,711,000
Twitter Followers: Not currently on Twitter
Follower Value: N/A
opendorse reasoning: Lampard is considered to be one of the best midfielders of all time. He is the vice-captain for Chelsea and is also the club’s all time leading goalscorer. Lampard is also second in assists in Premier League history and has led Chelsea to three Premier League titles. He has endorsements with Adidas and Pepsi.
55. Albert Pujols | MLB | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $3,000,000
Twitter Followers: 102,034
Follower Value: $29.40
opendorse reasoning: Pujols was one of the most dominant hitters over the past decade on his way to amassing two World Series Championships, three NL MVP’s, nine All-Star selections, six Silver Slugger Awards and two Gold Glove Awards. Pujols’ largest endorsement is with Nike.
54. Tony Romo | NFL | Dallas Cowboys
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $3,000,000
Twitter Followers: Not currently on Twitter
Follower Value: Not Available
opendorse reasoning: There are few positions in sports that garner as much attention or publicity as playing quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo is a three time Pro Bowler and the face of the Cowboys franchise.
53. Joe Mauer | MLB | Minnesota Twins
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $3,000,000
Twitter Followers: Not currently on Twitter
Follower Value: Not Available
opendorse reasoning: Mauer is the only catcher in MLB history to win three batting titles. The homegrown Minnesotan is beloved by Twins fans. His thick hair is a perfect match for Head & Shoulders, while Gatorade helps keep him in prime condition on the diamond.
52. Fernando Torres | Premier League | Chelsea Football Club
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $3,000,000
Twitter Followers: Not currently on Twitter
Follower Value: Not Available
opendorse reasoning: Torres has played striker for some of the most prestigious European soccer teams. He has over 100 caps for Spain and is the country’s third highest goal scorer of all time. He recently traded in Nike boots for an endorsement deal with Adidas. He also has an endorsement with Pepsi in Spain.
51. Samuel Eto’o | Premier League | Chelsea Football Club
Yearly Endorsement Earnings: $3,000,000
Twitter Followers: 136,730
Follower Value: $21.94
opendorse reasoning: The Cameroonian striker has won the African Player of the Year award a record four times. Usain Bolt says Eto’o is the fastest on the field in this endorsement for Puma. Now that is high praise!
End of 2nd Quarter
We’ve made it to the midpoint of the countdown. Next week we will keep the countdown rolling with numbers 50-26.
Until then, you can sign up for free with opendorse and start creating your own athlete endorsements.
