Endorsement In Sport

This blog will definitely be my hardest to write as it’s the one I know least about! But hey, got to start somewhere. So this one is about celebrity endorsement in sport. Sport being the key word as to why I know least about this. I hardly even know what sport is let alone know actual sports stars and their endorsement deals. Not even going to deny it I’m only going to cover sportsmen I know, and guaranteed you will know too. This includes, a footballer, golfer and tennis player.

So let’s start with someone I’ve already spoken about. David Beckham. I’m sure you won’t be complaining to hear about him again. Beckham teamed up with Adidas in 2003 signing a contract for £124 million lifetime contract. While searching for facts about this endorsement I found articles from today announcing the relaunch of Predator Manias from Beckham and Adidas. Apparently David made these shoes famous as he wore them while playing football, but they stopped being made when David retired. However due to the demand, they’re back and Beckham’s the face of them. Due to this recent re-launch its proving difficult to discover other campaigns with Adidas but from what I’ve gathered this is one of the biggest endorsements of all time, especially that Beckham is tied into it for life, and earning a hefty amount of money for it. 

The golfer that’s going to be discussed is Tiger Woods, of course. Woods has many endorsements with different brands and I’ve also talked about him previously due to being dropped after his cheating scandal. Woods has been with Nike since turning into a professional golfer in 1996 signing a five-year contract for apparently $40 million. Since then Woods has clearly stayed with Nike and created various golf shoes, with the Nike Golf president raving about his innovation with the brand. Last year Nike announced that they were going to stop making golf bags, balls and clubs. This led to questions about what will happen with Woods and their endorsement. It was shortly after confirmed that Woods would stay “one of the global icons for Nike and Nike Golf”. This meant he would continue to create shoes and wear their clothes but no longer use Nike clubs.

The tennis player which I absolutely adore the most is definitely Andy Murray. Although he may not always look like the happiest person on the tennis count, I idolise him for being a genuine sportsman. Murray teamed up with Under Armour and signed a four-year contract for £15 million. This involves him wearing their merchandise while playing on the courts and feature in their adverts. However, Murray was reportedly in trouble with the brand after they spent a LONG time making one of a kind shoes for him to wear on the tennis court, which he did… for a while. Murray ended up going back to his Adidas shoes which proved controversial after Murray previously had an endorsement deal with the brand before signing with Under Armour. However, Murray claims he’s honoured to help them tell their story globally.

Although I was actually dreading writing this blog, I’ve genuinely enjoyed finding out about these endorsements with three well known sportsmen! Learn something new every day don’t you?