Sports persons major income is through endorsements. We shall look at two sports person Virat Kohli and Maria Sharapova and see how much they earn? How much is through endorsements? How does Virat invest his money?
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Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is an Indian international cricketer who currently captains the India national team. A right-handed batsman, often regarded as one of the best batsmen in the world. He plays for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has been the team’s captain since 2013.
Kohli was appointed vice-captain of the ODI team in 2012 and handed over the Test captaincy following Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Test retirement in 2014. In early 2017, he became the limited-overs captain as well after Dhoni stepped down from the position. Kohli holds numerous Indian batting records including the fastest ODI century, the fastest batsman to 5,000 ODI runs and the fastest to 10 ODI centuries.
On 11 Dec 2017, he married Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma. According to a report, Anushka’s net worth is estimated at Rs.220 Crore while Virat’s net worth is estimated at Rs. 382 crores.
The Indian skipper has already established himself as one of the most elite batsmen in modern-day cricket and is also considered as one of the fittest athletes around. Virat Kohli is one of the most popular athletes around the world. He has over 15 million followers on Instagram alone, over 20 million followers on Twitter and over 36 million followers on Facebook.
Virat Anushka marriage
Virat Kohli brand value as per Forbes
According to Forber, In 2017 Virat Kohli is a more valuable brand than Argentina and FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi. Forbes calculated Kohli’s brand value at US $14.5 million i.e ₹94,20,72, 250, a million dollars more than the No. 9 Messi, and $22.7m short of the biggest brand among athletes in sport, Roger Federer. In other words, Kohli’s endorsements earn him $14.5m more than the average endorsement income of the top 10 cricketers. The brand value of a sportsperson is calculated on the basis of an athlete’s earnings. For the year 2017, Kohli’s brand endorsement contract was reportedly worth $22 million (₹ 141.3 crore), with $19 million (₹ 122 crore) coming through endorsements alone.
Through Instagram, Kohli earns a mind-boggling $500,000 (₹ 3.2 crore) per post, the same amount as Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo with comedian Kevin Hart leading the way with $1 million (₹ 6.4 crore) per post as reported by Forbes.
MS Dhoni, Kohli’s predecessor as India captain, was the fifth-most valuable sports brand among athletes in 2014, with his brand value calculated at $20m, a million lower than it had been in 2013. Even after he gave up Test cricket and captaincy, Dhoni was the tenth-biggest brand in 2016. His brand value, though, did take a big hit that year, coming down from $21m in 2015 to $11m in 2016. Now India’s captain in all formats, Kohli has made the big move up, which might be an indicator of how valuable the India captaincy is.
Forbes list of 10 most valuable athletes in 2017
- 1. Roger Federer: $37.2m
- 2. LeBron James: $33.4m
- 3. Usain Bolt: $27m
- 4. Cristiano Ronaldo: $21.5m
- 5. Phil Mickelson: $19.6m
- 6. Tiger Woods: $16.6m
- 7. Virat Kohli: $14.5m
- 8. Rory McIlroy: $13.6m
- 9. Lionel Messi: $13.5m
- 10. Steph Curry: $13.4m
Virat Kohli endorsements
Kohli endorses 18 brands and has invested in a chain of gyms under the name Chisel, a tech startup called Sports Convo, a fashion label by the name of Wrogn and has a partnership with Nazara Technologies for online cricket games.
In Feb 2017, Kohli became the first Indian sportsperson to sign an eight-year, Rs 110-crore endorsement deal with German sportswear Puma. Kohli also endorses Audi cars, MRF tyres, Tissot watches, Gionee phones, Boost milk drink, Colgate toothpaste and Vicks lozenges, among others.
Cricketer Virat Kohli has increased his endorsement fee to Rs 5 crore a day for new contracts, the highest charged by any celebrity in the country, possibly putting him in the league of international sports stars. For any celebrity, the per day charge could mean either shooting for the brand or making appearances.
Virat Kohli is keen to be seen as a socially responsible youth icon and as a result, the Indian cricket captain has stopped endorsing a soft drink giant and fairness products because of their association with junk food and racism. On his brand endorsements, Virat said.
You were the second most valuable celebrity in India before you signed a Rs110 crore deal with Puma in February. What do you think your valuation is now?
The Puma deal happened alongside the MRF deal, so it must be $120 million plus now. These are just numbers for me, it’s something my management informs me about. It’s not something I strive for or work towards, it’s just a by-product of whatever I’m doing in my professional career, so the focus always remains on that. But yes, these things are an important facet of your life and I have a strong management team that’s really doing a good job with me on that.
Virat Kohli is on his way to be the biggest sports celebrity in the country having already joined the Rs 100 crore club in 2015 with 13 brands under his belt. In 2014, American Appraisal estimated Kohli’s brand value at US$56.4 million placing him fourth on the list of India’s most valued celebrity brands. In 2014, the UK-based magazine SportsPro rated Kohli as the second most marketable athlete in the world behind only Lewis Hamilton, placing him above the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Usain Bolt
In the 2015 Forbes India Celebrity 100 list released in December, based on entertainment-related earnings and fame, Kohli was ranked seventh with yearly earnings of Rs. 104.78 crore. He was described as the current poster boy of Indian cricket and was the only cricketer other than Dhoni (No. 4, with estimated earnings of Rs. 119.33 crore) to be placed in the top 10. Kohli’s sources of income included match fees, endorsements, Indian Premier League (IPL) deals and contracts from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Shah Rukh Khan leads the list with 257.5 cr, Salman Khan – 202.75 cr
In the Year 2013, Virat endorsed 13 brand such as Reebok, Nestle India etc and he also signed perhaps Indian cricket’s most lucrative deal with Adidas, a whopping 30 crore deal for three years. At that time Kohli was a newbie in the field, commanding just over 3 crores for each deal. His largest signing was with the tyre giants, MRF with whom he signed a 6.5 crore deal.
In the year 2014,Virat’s consistent performances did him plenty good, with his estimated endorsements rising two-fold, from 3 crore rupees to 6 crore rupees per deal. Kohli ended the year 2014 with great success, endorsing several brands to make himself a 17-cr per year brand, higher than Dhoni and Sachin.
In January 2015, Kohli has endorsement deals with 11 brands: PepsiCo, Boost, Munch (from Nestle), Clear hair care (Unilever), Royal Challenge (from United Spirits), Adidas, MRF, Mattel, Oakley, TVS Motors and Vicks. The brands Kohli previously endorsed include Fastrack (from Titan), Sangam Suitings, Fair & Lovely, Herbalife, Flying Machine, Red Chief Shoes, Toyota Motors, Celkon Mobiles, Cinthol (from Godrej) and 3C Company.
Kohli was signed up by sports agent Bunty Sajdeh of Cornerstone Sport and Entertainment after the 2008 Under-19 World Cup. Sajdeh recalls, “I didn’t go after them after they became stars. In fact, I watched Virat at the 2008 ICC Under-19 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur. I was mighty impressed with his attitude and the way he was marshalling his team. He had that spark. And I told Yuvi to set up the meeting.” Sajdeh manages Kohli’s endorsement deals, along with those of other Indian cricketers Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Murali Vijay. You can find Sports related images on bemoneyaware pinterest Sports page.
A brief overview of Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli was born on 5 November 1988 in Delhi in a Punjabi family.His father, Prem Kohli, worked as a criminal lawyer and his mother, Saroj Kohli, is a housewife. He has an elder brother, Vikash, and an elder sister, Bhavna. According to his family, when he was three-years old, Kohli would pick up a cricket bat, start swinging it and ask his father to bowl at him. In 1998, Virat joined the just started West Delhi Cricket Academy . Kohli’s father took him to the academy after their neighbors suggested that “Virat shouldn’t waste his time in gully cricket and instead join a professional club”. Kohli trained at the academy under Rajkumar Sharma and also played matches at the Sumit Dogra Academy near Noida at the same time.In ninth grade, he shifted to Savier Convent in Paschim Vihar to help his cricket practice. Apart from sports, Kohli was good at academics as well, and his teachers remember him as “a bright and alert child”.
Kohli’s father died on 18 December 2006 due to brain stroke after being bed-ridden for a month. Regarding his early life, Kohli has said in an interview, “I’ve seen a lot in life. Losing my father at a young age, the family business not doing too well, staying in a rented place. There were tough times for the family… It’s all embedded in my memory.” Infographic shows Virat Kohli’s journey.
What makes Virat tick
In a country like India cricket is treated similar to a religion, But the glory doesn’t come easy. There is no secret or shortcut to it, and Kohli’s mantra is hard work: “Stay true to yourself and your goal. Stay determined to what you have to achieve. Also, love what you do and do it will all honesty.” The work the Delhi-based cricketer puts in on the field and off it, and pulls off in both, is what makes him a star.
Virat has, for a while, been darling of the advertiser. He is physically and mentally very strong and comes across as fearless. He ticks out the top five boxes that any advertiser will look for while engaging with a celebrity. Many say Virat Kohli is a mix of Saurav Ganguly’s aggression and Tendulkar’s class.
Speaking about Virat, Dhoni had said after India win over Pakistan in T20 world cup match, “It’s the hunger to perform, his willingness to take up the challenge, that sets him apart. His biggest plus point is he takes everything as a challenge. He wants to contribute in each and every game. That’s why, he prepares well, he takes care of his fitness. He understands how he is supposed to bat in different wickets to score runs”
“When you respect the game, the opposition and your Idol, you stand Tall! Well done Virat Kohli for a great innings!” Rahul Dravid #WT20 #IndvPak
Is Virat better than Sachin Tendulkar?
India has always been a team that has produced the best batsmen in the world. At the top of the list is the colossus by the name of Sachin Tendulkar. The ‘Little Master’ has close to thirty-five thousand international runs to his name in 782 innings across ODIs and Tests, since he didn’t play any T20 internationals. Recently, Virat Kohli moved past former India captain Mohammded Azharuddin to move into the 6th place in the list of all time highest run scorers for India across all formats. Ref
Virat’s ability to play big knocks across all formats make him a serious contender to break several batting records in the days to come, many of which are owned by his former colleagues.
| Name | Matches | Inn | Runs | Highes | Avg | 100s | 50s |
| Sachin | 664 | 782 | 34357 | 248* | 48.52 | 100 | 164 |
| Dravid | 504 | 599 | 24064 | 270 | 45.57 | 48 | 145 |
| Ganguly | 421 | 485 | 18433 | 239 | 41.42 | 38 | 106 |
| Sehwag | 363 | 431 | 16892 | 319 | 40.6 | 38 | 70 |
| Dhoni | 478 | 478 | 15809 | 224 | 44.91 | 15 | 100 |
| Kohli | 316 | 345 | 15631 | 235 | 53.53 | 49 | 77 |
Comparison between Sachin and Virat Kohli after 33 tests and ODIs
How is Virat Kohli spending and investing his money?
The thought of building a retirement nest comes from his awareness that the income from his cricketing career will not last forever, he will retire in 10-12 years,
Where does Virat Kohli invest?
Are there any favourite asset classes? “Well, you don’t want me to give away my trade secrets, do you? Just kidding. There is no secret formula. It’s a combination of real estate, fixed deposits and equity. A healthy mix of these,” he said.
- In 2014, Kohli became a co-owner of Indian Super League club FC Goa. He stated that he invested in the club with the “keenness of football” and because he “wanted football to grow in India”. He added, “It is also a business venture that I am looking at for the future. Cricket is not going to last forever so, whenever I am done, whenever I retire, I am keeping all my options open.”
- In November 2014, Kohli and Anjana Reddy’s Universal Sportsbiz (USPL) launched a youth fashion brand ‘WROGN’. The brand started to produce men’s casual wear clothing in 2015 and has tied up with Myntra and Shopper’s Stop.[301]
- In 2015, Kohli invested ₹90 crore (US$13 million) to start a chain of gyms and fitness centres across the country. Launched under the name “Chisel”, the chain of gyms is jointly owned by Kohli, Chisel India and CSE (Cornerstone Sport and Entertainment), the agency which manages Kohli’s commercial interests.
- In September 2015, Kohli became a co-owner of the International Premier Tennis League franchise UAE Royals
In March 2013 Virat Kohli started,Virat Kohli Foundation (VKF), where his brother Vikas and Sajdeh are trustees. The foundation focuses on providing education for underprivileged children and conducts events to raise funds for the charity. According to Kohli, the foundation works with select NGOs to “create awareness, seek support and raise funds for the various causes they endorse and the philanthropic work they engage in.” In May 2014, eBay and Save the Children India conducted a charity auction with VKF, and directed the funds generated towards the education and healthcare of underprivileged children
The ventures and endorsements may be many, but Kohli says money is not everything. “My family and friends are the most important to me. Your intrinsic values and character are what shape you in life. Money adds materialistic comfort, but it’s true what they say: there are some things money can’t buy. They are priceless. Time spent with my family, my friends and my dog (a beagle called Bruno) gives me immense happiness and is above anything money can ever buy. Money is important in life to maintain a good standard of living for your family and children growing up. But at the same time, one should never forget his roots and should stay grounded,” said Kohli.
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova, who turns 29 in April 2016, said she was notified of the failed test “I made a huge mistake. I let my fans down, I let the sport down,” she said. There is now a question mark over Sharapova due to her use of the anti-ischemic drug, which was banned because its misuse by athletes to increase endurance performance, as well as improve rehabilitation after exercise. Meldonium was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances as of Jan. 1. Was it Sharapova’s honest mistake, it could jeopardize her standing as the world’s most marketable female athlete.?
The five-time Grand Slam champion has won 35 WTA titles and in 2012 became just the sixth female player in the Open era to win the career Grand Slam, joining the sport’s legends: Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams.
For all of her on-court brilliance, Sharapova has been even better off the court. Sharapova was the world’s highest-paid female athlete last year for the 11th straight year with earnings of $29.7 million, including $23 million from endorsements and appearances. She ranked No. 26, including men, among the top earners in sports.
Sharapova has earned $36.8 million in prize money during her career, which ranks second all-time, but she trails Williams by more nearly $39 million. The real money has been off the court for the 6-foot-2 inch Russian with more than $200 million during her career from endorsements, appearances and royalties, by Forbes’ count.
Nike has been Sharapova’s biggest backer since she was a teen and her world-rank was in the 200s. She has her own line of clothing at the $31-billion sportswear giant. She reaped millions of dollars with her ballet flat, which was the No. 1 female shoe at Nike subsidiary Cole Haan (Nike sold Cole Haan in 2013 and the royalty deal ended for Sharapova). She extended her Nike deal at the start of 2010. The eight-year pact could be worth as much as $70 million, including royalties. Her other current partners include American Express, Avon, Evian, Head, Nike,Porsche and Tag Heuer.
Sharapova is also expanding her brand beyond the traditional endorsement space. She launched her own gummi candy brand, Suparpova, in 2012 and is adding chocolate this year. Sharapova wants to turn Sugarpova into a lifestyle brand. She hosted her own tennis tournament, Maria Sharapova & Friends, in Los Angeles in December. The two-day exhibition included celebrities and tennis pros.
Branding expert David Schwab at marketing firm Octagon says that any Sharapova partners with spring launches will have to reconsider their plans. He adds: “The challenge for Sharapova in a Twitter era is all the headlines say she failed a drug test and many will not read the fine print to understand the details. She will have to continue to message that correctly.” Within 24 hours, three of her biggest sponsors – Nike, Porsche and TAG Heuer – either suspended or lapsed their contracts, though tennis racket supplier Head stood behind the five-time Grand Slam winner. An interesting read Maria Sharapova: The Business Behind The World’s Most Marketable Female Athlete
Sports careers often hang on slender threads. Here, ability and luck waltz amidst swings in fortunes. Our article Cricketer and Money explores How much does a cricketer earn? How much IPL pays cricketers?What about the endorsements and his retirement and How Sachin Tendulkar formally declared that he is an actor and not a cricketer for he models for TV advertisements. In order to save tax of around Rs 2 crore on income derived from doing TV commercials.
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What do you think of Sports persons and Endorsements? Will Virat Kohli rule Indian cricket like Sachin Tendular? Will Virat Kohli beat Dhoni in earnings? What will happen to Maria Sharapova tennis career? Is she guilty? If she is not should she be allowed to to play tennis? Will Maria Sharapova survive the ban?
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