As part of the Footballco Business Podcast, Michael Long, editorial director of SportsPro, spoke about Lionel Messi, who tops the ranking of the 50 most marketable athletes.
With Messi topping SportsPro’s latest 50 Most Marketable Athletes list and a total of 22 footballers, Michael talked about what makes the sport so dominant and how the Inter Miami superstar beat out players like LeBron James , Alex Morgan and Lewis Hamilton to move into first place.
Long said: “There is this culture of the court, this culture of sports and entertainment that we see in the NBA and the NFL, more than anywhere else. And I think he (Messi) is now rubbing shoulders not only with (David) Beckham and other football greats from yesterday and today, but also all these other cultural icons from the world of sport and entertainment. It takes him into a different dimension, I think, that we haven’t really seen around Messi and we certainly didn’t see when he was at Barcelona.”
A major commercial impact
“But I think he has the potential to have a Beckham-type impact, a commercial impact on MLS, however long he spends in the league, until the next World Cup, which could be ultimately its swan song. A match made in marketing heaven.”
Messi comes out on top in part because he publicly supports causes and charities, factors that are becoming increasingly important in sports marketing. Mr. Long added: “From an economic standpoint, its market value and assessed value rank it very high. But there is also his public support for environmental and social causes for which he is not necessarily well known. (He’s a UNICEF ambassador, he has the Leo Messi Foundation, he supports other environmental initiatives and things like that. So that worked in his favor. “I think that kind of cause element is really important for brands these days when they partner with athletes. »
