Sports Stars and Brands: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Digital media, particularly social, has opened up access to sports stars like never before. Almost nothing and no one is beyond reach, opportunities for fan and brand engagement have increased substantially and the pressure on the athletes to perform both on and off the field is at a peak.

Deals between athletes and brands are becoming increasingly complex – the returns can be high but the risks can also be big. So what should brands expect from professional athletes they do deals with? How do you measure the success of a partnership? Are athletes just the same as influencers? How do you value a partnership fairly? And what have been some of the best examples of the good, the bad and the ugly?