After hours spent training and pushing yourself to be the best athlete that you can be, you have signed your first professional contract. You’re officially a professional athlete, and are getting paid to do what many have only dreamed of. You have earned the spotlight and everything that is about to come your way, so don’t let a second of it go to waste! Realize your true value beyond your playing career by investing in sports marketing and athlete branding opportunities.

The Game Beyond the Game: Sports Marketing

Your commitment to building your professional business portfolio should mirror the effort you put forward on the playing field. As a professional athlete, you have a platform that is unique and deep-rooted in the communities that you interact with. Your marketing position holds tremendous value for businesses looking to push their product or services in front of audiences that you connect with. The continuous evolution of technology, social trends, cause marketing, and even the emergence of eSports – promotes a sports marketing landscape that is always changing. This rapidly changing environment creates a need for companies to target individuals, like professional athletes, that have a following and are able to capture the public’s attention. As online marketing becomes a vital component of many companies’ marketing strategies, today’s companies and athletes are realizing more and more that there is a prevalent level of connectivity that is needed amongst their common target markets. Sports related companies like Reebok, Adidas, Red Bull, and Nike all heavily utilize high performance athletes across numerous sports to fulfill their marketing strategies. Companies that are typically not initially linked to sports like Procter & Gamble, Ducky Brand Apparel, and GoDaddy have also been known to involve the participation of high level athletes and sports events  in their marketing campaigns. The opportunities for high performance athletes to get involved in sports marketing can be bountiful and endless, as each company has their own marketing agenda that they are trying to fulfill. Marketing partnerships and sponsorships are a vital component to the long term-success of every professional athlete. Unfortunately, just as not every athlete will fit the marketing needs for every marketing campaign, not every marketing campaign and company will be the right fit for the interests of the athlete.

It takes someone strong to make someone strong. #ThankYouMomhttps://t.co/ATKYR6WJXO

— Thank you Mom by P&G (@ThankYouMom) April 25, 2016