What is this new world of athlete income?
Athletes used to earn their living from sponsorship contracts and big event winnings, but in the 2020’s that income comes from a whole host of new cash streams…
In the multi-episode documentary ‘How Surfers Get Paid’ the icons of surf sport look at how athletes became ‘story-tellers’, how surfers had to start building their own brands rather than relying on the reach of their sponsors’ networks; and how income streams for top athletes can now just as often come from YouTube, Instagram, Blogging and other social media outlets, rather than from their sponsors’ pockets…
So, in this new world of athlete self-branding, what place is there for sponsors and brands that want to collaborate with a 21st century sporting superstar?
The answer it seems is in partnership and shared objectives. Rather than a sponsor owning an athlete and using them to generate their own brand content in their dictated style, a sponsor must recognise that athletes are a promotional and content creating source of their own. Partner up with an athlete that shares the same brand values and objectives as you, and that partnership will strengthen the reach, marketing, and position of both your brand and that of the sporting individual.
Watch the full documentary here: bomburabeachclub.com.au
Check out our latest sponsorship opportunities on the Opportunities page – to find your perfect brand-athlete partnership…
