Though this suit was thrown out of court in the fall of 1982, all of those corporations abandoned King. In the spring of 1981, Marilyn Barnett, King’s one-time partner and assistant, Marilyn Barnett, publicly disclosed their romance and announced plans to sue King for half of her prior earnings. They see me as everything I am.”īut then came the brutality of the business world. “All most other advertisers could see was the fact that I’m a lesbian,” Navratilova told the New York Times that year. That one came for automobile manufacturer Subaru. Though the outspoken Martina Navratilova was seen in a few campaigns over the years, not until 2000-the year she turned 44-was she featured in a national TV commercial. While the path towards wealth and crossover fame has been swift and smooth for many, for two other notables, it’s been far more challenging. “If I’m with a brand, I want it to be from my heart instead of just trying to promote a message, just for money,” Osaka said two years ago in a New York Times story titled, “How Naomi Osaka Became Everyone’s Favorite Spokesmodel.”Īfrica has also entered the picture thanks to the charismatic Ons Jabeur and her work with Qatar Airways, Tunisie Telecom, Lotto, Wilson and others. More recently, Japan’s Naomi Osaka earned nearly $60 million from 20 corporate partners, including Nike, Mastercard and Louis Vitton. Asia made its way into the mix following Li Na’s 2011 emergence as a top player, Nike and Mercedes among the Chinese star’s many endorsements. Over the years, Sharapova has inked endorsement deals with companies ranging from Avon to Canon to Evian to Porsche. According to Forbes Magazine, Sharapova in 2005 earned more than $18 million. Within a year of winning Wimbledon in 2004, Russian Maria Sharapova swiftly became the richest female athlete in history. In the 1980s and ‘90s, there was South American Gabriela Sabatini, an Argentine who starred in campaigns for such corporations as Perrier, Rayban, and McDonald’s. Australian star Evonne Goolagong was featured in ads for KFC, Geritol and Sears. WTA players from all corners of the globe have made major commercial splashes. Joe Pytka, a venerated commercial director who has made spots featuring dozens of athletes, including Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, and John McEnroe, says that “Serena is the most impressive athlete I’ve ever worked with.”Īmerican icons such as Evert and the Williams sisters are only part of the story. Serena’s commercial resume includes IBM, Gatorade, Pepsi, IBM, Chase Bank and Nike. Venus has appeared in ads for the likes of Wilson, Reebok, Tide, Kraft and Ralph Lauren. One memorable ad featuring the two of them in the famous “Got Milk?” campaign. Since turning pro in the mid-‘90s, the Williams sisters have adorned a wide range of advertisements. No two tennis players demonstrate this more vividly than a pair of sisters known to the world on a first-name basis: Venus and Serena. The commercial possibilities that kicked off in a big way 50 years ago have accelerated in the 21st century. ““It was thrilling to watch the sport blossom and to get sponsors that were interested in seeing tennis players show off their skills to an audience that wasn’t just there for the tennis,” says Grace Lichtenstein, author of, A Long Way, Baby, a book about the 1973 women’s tennis yea-one marked not just by Evert’s first endorsement deal, but also the start of the WTA, the beginning of equal prize money at the US Open, and the infamous “Battle of the Sexes” match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King. As recently as this October, Evert participated with WTA president Micky Lawler in “Lessons in Leadership,” a webcast presented by Morgan Stanley. There followed many more partnerships between Evert and corporations, including Lipton Iced Tea, Rolex watches, Converse shoes and, of course, Wilson Sporting Goods. She sells volleyballs.” He went on to explain Evert’s lure and, most of all, her everlasting presence as an authentic and charismatic global icon.įifty years ago, just after turning pro at the age of 18, Evert signed a contract with Puritan Fashions, a clothing company, for what was then the incredible total of $50,000 annually for four years. “Chris Evert? Let me tell you something about Chris Evert. He’d corralled many others to participate, from Oscar, Grammy, Tony and Emmy nominees to tennis stars Rod Laver and Chrissie Evert.Īmid so much glitz and glamor, the man from Wilson pondered Evert. The event had been staged by a Hall of Fame athlete who’d long been a Madison Avenue darling. A Wilson Sporting Goods representative took in all that he’d seen. The setting was the Ritz Carlton Hotel, site of a recently concluded charity fundraiser that combined tennis and entertainment. It was late one evening in the California desert.
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