Brand endorsements for athletes in sports are an important aspect of their careers; many around the world reap huge financial rewards from commercial partnerships.
There’s a correlation between athletes attracting brands as they hit their strides in their careers and companies coming rushing to them.
One example of this is how players from the Springbok 2019 Rugby World Cup-winning team have earned endorsements since their triumph in Japan. The likes of Siya Kolisi, Cheslin Kolbe, Faf de Klerk, Lukhanyo Am and Makazole Mapimpi have appeared in TV advertisements and billboards all over the country.
Sibabalwe Sesmani, the CEO of Unorthodox Group, which manages brand commercial deals for Am and Mapimpi, elaborated on why athletes should aim to maximise working with brands at their peak.
“As an athlete, first you need to make that decision, some athletes don’t necessarily want to do all of the brand stuff, they want to focus on the game,” Sesmani told Sowetan.
“We are seeing a rise in that, athletes wanting to get sponsorship opportunities, they don’t go to brands but a lot of brands approach them. It’s good money coming in on the side over and above their job of being a professional athlete,” she said.
Sesmani said the relationships athletes forged with brands during their careers sustain them in retirement.
“For the people that embrace it, it’s great and also it forms part of their retirement strategy. As a company as part of asking those questions, we ask when you retire from your sports, what do you want to do and then we work backwards. Whatever brand we work with now we can bring them into the retirement plan of our athletes,” she said.
Unorthodox Group have Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena in their stable and say they have plans in place to launch him to brands as he is entering his prime years.
“Soccer players don’t get as many endorsements. We want to try to neaten up that image around soccer players using Teboho as an example. He is a responsible athlete who is phenomenal on the pitch, we want to highlight that as much as we can. Those are some of the tactics we develop to attract brands,” Sesmani said.
Why athletes should maximise their earning potential while at peak
Brand specialist Sesmani advises players to cash in when they can
Image: Supplied
Brand endorsements for athletes in sports are an important aspect of their careers; many around the world reap huge financial rewards from commercial partnerships.
There’s a correlation between athletes attracting brands as they hit their strides in their careers and companies coming rushing to them.
One example of this is how players from the Springbok 2019 Rugby World Cup-winning team have earned endorsements since their triumph in Japan. The likes of Siya Kolisi, Cheslin Kolbe, Faf de Klerk, Lukhanyo Am and Makazole Mapimpi have appeared in TV advertisements and billboards all over the country.
Sibabalwe Sesmani, the CEO of Unorthodox Group, which manages brand commercial deals for Am and Mapimpi, elaborated on why athletes should aim to maximise working with brands at their peak.
“As an athlete, first you need to make that decision, some athletes don’t necessarily want to do all of the brand stuff, they want to focus on the game,” Sesmani told Sowetan.
“We are seeing a rise in that, athletes wanting to get sponsorship opportunities, they don’t go to brands but a lot of brands approach them. It’s good money coming in on the side over and above their job of being a professional athlete,” she said.
Sesmani said the relationships athletes forged with brands during their careers sustain them in retirement.
“For the people that embrace it, it’s great and also it forms part of their retirement strategy. As a company as part of asking those questions, we ask when you retire from your sports, what do you want to do and then we work backwards. Whatever brand we work with now we can bring them into the retirement plan of our athletes,” she said.
Unorthodox Group have Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena in their stable and say they have plans in place to launch him to brands as he is entering his prime years.
“Soccer players don’t get as many endorsements. We want to try to neaten up that image around soccer players using Teboho as an example. He is a responsible athlete who is phenomenal on the pitch, we want to highlight that as much as we can. Those are some of the tactics we develop to attract brands,” Sesmani said.
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