Sports 100 most marketable athletes: Sam Kerr beats Tom Brady, but Novak Djokovic flops

Controversy is a marketing killer. Just ask Novak Djokovic, who has tumbled down the list of the world’s 100 most marketable athletes. Read the full list inside.

The top 100 athletes

Sam Kerr is in the top 10, but Nick Kyrgios, Ben Simmons, Pat Cummins, Ellyse Perry, Patty Mills and Emma McKeon have all been snubbed in a new list of the world’s most marketable athletes.

Football star Cristiano Ronaldo heads the list, while Matildas captain Kerr is ninth across all athletes, male and female, even pipping 10th placed NFL legend Tom Brady. Only three other Australians feature in the top 100; golfers Minjee Lee and Cam Smith, and Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo.

The annual list, compiled by SportsPro, weights performance, media and social media reach, salary, fashion influence and philanthropy while marking down those seen as risky to brands.

And showing that brand power is not just a young person’s game, all of the top five – Ronaldo, Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Lebron James and Lionel Messi – are aged 35 years or older.

But controversy is a marketing killer, as demonstrated by tennis star Novak Djokovic’s dramatic tumble from No.9 in the 2021 list to No.46 this year. He is ninth among tennis players on the list.

Djokovic’s anti-vaccine stance to the Covid jab saw him deported before the start of the Australian Open this year. Despite surging back to claim the Wimbledon title, the off-court controversy has clearly impacted his brand.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic has fallen from grace this year

Another noted anti-vaccine athlete, Aaron Rodgers, failed to make the top 100 list despite claiming back-to-back Most Valuable Player titles in the NFL. Rival quarterbacks Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson and Josh Allen all made the list.

With Ash Barty’s shock retirement from tennis at the start of the year, Kerr has become Australia’s leading sports star according to the list.

The 29-year-old Chelsea striker finished third in the Ballon d’Or on Tuesday – Spain’s Alexia Putellas won the crown as the world’s best female footballer, with England’s Beth Mead placing second – and she was recently featured on the cover of the new FIFA23 video game alongside French superstar Kylian Mbappe.

Sam Kerr was ranked higher than Tom Brady

Golfer Smith, the highest paid Australian athlete after signing a deal with the controversial Saudi Arabian-backed breakaway competition worth a reported $140 million, snuck into the top 100 list at No.98.

Simmons is the next highest paid Australian athlete, earning $45.36 million a year at the Brooklyn Nets, as part of the trade deal with his former club Philadelphia 76ers – who he is chasing for more than $20 million in unpaid wages following his nasty exit. That saga, and Simmons’ ensuing fallout with Philly fans, has likely deemed him a brand risk according to the data used by SportsPro to compile the list.

Ben Simmons has become a brand risk

Kyrgios is one of Australia’s highest profile athletes and after his stunning surge to the Wimbledon final this year, would be considered a shock to miss out on the top 100.

However, his repeated controversial behaviour on the court is sure to have impacted his marketability for this list, despite several lucrative endorsement deals.

As for social media following, cricketer David Warner dwarfs all other Australian athletes with a remarkable 9.7 million Instagram followers, followed by Ricciardo (7.5 million) and Simmons (6.6 million).

But Warner’s involvement in Sandpaper gate has affected his marketability.

Warner missed out on the Australian one-day captaincy to Cummins, who also leads the Test team, given he remains under a leadership ban over the incident in South Africa, though it is expected to be lifted in future.

Cummins has enormous respect in the cricket world and is up with Warner and Steve Smith in profile, but couldn’t crack the top 100 list.

Nick Kyrgios of Australia didnt make the list

In fact, no Australian has made the cut despite six cricketers featuring; Indians Virat Kohli (No.7), Rohit Sharma (No.20), Shikhar Dhawan (No.70) and Hardik Pandya (No.71), and Englishmen Joe Root (No.72) and Jos Buttler (No.78).

Perry, long considered Australia’s most marketable female athlete, has also missed the cut.

Simmons’ Nets teammate Mills, well known for his charity work, was also overlooked, while Australia’s greatest ever Olympian, McKeon, is another shock snub.

McKeon, who won a record-equalling seven medals at the Tokyo Games and is in a relationship with former pop star Cody Simpson, was overlooked while American swim rival Katie Ledecky was ranked 21 overall in the list.

Lee, 26, has already claimed two major championships and is ranked No.3 in the world. The Perth product has earned more than $10 million in prizemoney through her career, and sits at No.63 on the list, ahead of Ricciardo who is at No.82.

Ricciardo currently does not have a home in Formula One for 2023, after his team McLaren bought out the final season of his $32 million-a-year contract.

Daniel Ricciardo was not in the top five motorsport names on the list

Stephanie Gilmore didn’t make the list after winning her eighth world surfing title, but Hawaiian surfer Bethany Hamilton ranks No.34 with her 2.1m Instagram followers and career as a motivational speaker.

SportsPro said of their 2022 list: “With a view to building the most complete picture of athlete marketability in the sports industry, it combines on-field performance and off-field factors, bringing a new focus on the triple bottom line and a fresh take on what it means to be marketable in the digital age.

“In doing so, this year’s list seeks to identify and reflect the key trends, shifts in consumer perception and the most relevant societal values that contribute towards the marketability of an athlete today, such as authenticity, gender equality, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability.”

Originally published as Sports 100 most marketable athletes: Sam Kerr beats Tom Brady, but Novak Djokovic flops