City A.M.’s Rio 50: These are the 50 most marketable athletes at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Do you thrill to the Mobot? Or tingle when Jess Ennis-Hill ducks for the line? Perhaps it’s Usain Bolt’s signature To Di World celebration, an Andy Murray fist pump, or gymnastics doyenne Simone Biles cheekily winking during a floor routine that brings out the goose-pimples.
Everyone has their favourites: those sportsmen and women who we marvel at, will pay the big bucks to watch, perhaps even secretly want to be. That, of course, is why the biggest international brands fall over themselves to associate with these super-athletes.
But of all the competitors readying themselves for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, who are the gold medal winners in marketing terms? That is the question we asked an array of the leading thinkers in the sports business industry.
Our experts considered factors such as their popularity, age, performance credentials, chances of success in Rio and value for money to come up with the City A.M. Rio 50. I hope you’ll enjoy poring over their wisdom – read on to see if you agree.
These are the Rio Olympics 2016's 50 most marketable athletes
| 1 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | Athletics | Well, it had to be him, didn't it? The fastest man of all time, who is hunting a third triple of 100m, 200m and 4x100m gold in his final Games, carries off his superhuman feats with an insouciance, laid-back charm and penchant for showmanship that has only endeared the 29-year-old further still to audiences and sponsors, such as Puma, Virgin Media, Hublot and Nissan. |
| 2 | Neymar | Brazil | Football | Neymar is the most likely rival to Bolt as the face of the Games, if the silky-skilled star of the selecao can succeed in firing the hosts to the Olympic title they crave. The 24-year-old is already a marketers' dream, with more than 135m fans on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and a dizzying array of sponsors including Nike, Gillette, Volkswagen, Red Bull, Panasonic, Replay and Police. |
| 3 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | Tennis | Mischievous and mercurial world No1 Djokovic took his game to new heights in an almost invincible last year and a half, winning 17 titles and completing the career Grand Slam, before a shock third-round defeat at Wimbledon. Olympic gold is the only major honour still to elude the face of Uniqlo, Peugeot, Seiko and ANZ, who has a solitary bronze, from Beijing in 2008, to show for two trips to the Games. |
| 4 | Serena Williams | USA | Tennis | Williams embarks on her final Olympics with her case for being the greatest female tennis player of all time strengthened by equalling the Open Era record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles at Wimbledon last month. The defending women's singles and doubles champion, with sister Venus, is also a commercial giant, with a reported $29m annual income from sponsors such as Nike, Gatorade and Wilson. |
| 5 | Michael Phelps | USA | Swimming | Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time and the most successful competitor at each of the last three Games, is bigger than his sport. His comeback from retirement and a drink-driving controversy means the 31-year-old, who has his own swimwear line and a deal with Under Armour, goes to Rio seeking not just to add to his 18 golds but also to answer his critics. |
| 6 | Andy Murray | Great Britain | Tennis | Britain's most successful tennis player since Fred Perry heads to Rio following a stellar few months in which he won the country's first Davis Cup for 79 years, became a father and then claimed a second Wimbledon title. The 29-year-old, who has deals with Under Armour, Head, Jaguar and Standard Life, is set to defend his men's singles crown and could also line up in the men's and mixed doubles. |
| 7 | Kevin Durant | USA | Basketball | The 2016 edition of Team USA might not match the 1992 Dream Team for pedigree, nor even the London 2012 gold-winning side that featured LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, but in Durant it still boasts one of basketball's superstars. The small forward has an aggregate social media following of more than 30m and his commercial contracts include a reported $300m tie-in with Nike. |
| 8 | Jessica Ennis-Hill | Great Britain | Athletics | Ennis-Hill's heptathlon gold made her one of the faces of London 2012 and since then she has only enhanced her standing by returning from an extended break for the birth of her first child and reclaiming her world title in Beijing last year. The supermum, 30, has a flawless public image that has earned endorsements with Omega, BP, Santander, Adidas and Vitality and she will be the woman to beat in Rio. |
| 9 | Bradley Wiggins | Great Britain | Cycling | Wiggins achieved iconic status four years ago by winning time trial gold just weeks after becoming the first Briton in history to triumph at the Tour de France. Now 36, cycling's charismatic modfather, whose sponsors include Samsung and Hyundai, hopes to become the country's most decorated Olympian of all time by adding to his seven medals in a return to the velodrome track in Rio. |
| 10 | Missy Franklin | USA | Swimming | Franklin won hearts as well as plaudits when scooping four golds at London 2012, aged just 17. The intervening years have seen her struggle to sustain top form amid injury problems, while Katie Ledecky has replaced her as the darling of American swimming, meaning the face of Visa, United Airlines and Speedo heads to the Games seeking redemption of sorts. |
| 11 | Mo Farah | Great Britain | Athletics | Britain's most decorated athlete has made the 5,000m and 10,000m his own, winning both at London 2012 and the last two World Championships. Farah has deals with Virgin Media and Nike – and his unique Mobot celebration. |
| 12 | Yohan Blake | Jamaica | Athletics | Blake, who revels in his "Beast" nickname, might be an even bigger star but for training partner Bolt, who beat him into second in both 100m and 200m four years ago and is the only man ever to have run faster. |
| 13 | Rickie Fowler | USA | Golf | One of the highest-ranked golfers heading to Rio, Fowler's youth, success, good looks and all-American image have made the 27-year-old hot property for sponsors, who include Rolex, Mercedes, Zurich Insurance and Puma. |
| 14 | Kei Nishikori | Japan | Tennis | The first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam final – losing to Marin Cilic in the 2014 US Open – is a world top 10 player and boasts deals with Jaguar, Tag Heuer, Adidas and Uniqlo as well as his own app. |
| 15 | Danny Willett | Great Britain | Golf | Willett hit the big time by winning the Masters, his first major tournament, in April and the Yorkshireman, who has tie-ups with Audemars Piguet and Callaway, is among the favourites for gold as golf returns to the Olympics. |
| 16 | Chris Froome | Great Britain | Cycling | Fresh from a third dominant Tour de France victory in four years, Team Sky spearhead Froome is gunning for an improvement on his London 2012 bronze in the time trial and will also go in the road race. |
| 17 | Ryan Lochte | USA | Swimming | Five-time Olympic champion Lochte has a point to prove after failing to qualify to defend all his titles. The uber-bro, who has deals with Ralph Lauren and Marriott and dons mouth jewellery on the podium, insists that, at 31, he has grown up. |
| 18 | Kyrie Irving | USA | Basketball | Team USA point guard Irving helped Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA title this year and is a three-time All Star. The 24-year-old has a signature shoe line with Nike plus endorsements with Pepsi, Activision and Foot Locker. |
| 19 | Katie Ledecky | USA | Swimming | The world's top female swimmer won gold at London 2012 aged 15 and has bagged nine world titles and three world records since. Teenager Ledecky was named in this year's Time 100 and is fancied for four more golds in Rio. |
| 20 | Garbine Muguruza | Spain | Tennis | Muguruza, 22, won her first Grand Slam at the French Open this year, is tipped to be the next big thing in the women's game and already has deals with Adidas by Stella McCartney and bank BBVA. |
| 21 | Sonny Bill Williams | New Zealand | Rugby Sevens | A unique sporting icon, Williams has played rugby league for New Zealand, won rugby union's World Cup with the All Blacks and in between went unbeaten in four years as a heavyweight boxer. |
| 22 | Tom Daley | Great Britain | Diving | Daley's appeal goes far beyond his nine gold medals from major championships. The 22-year-old is a flag-bearer for diversity and has a loyal fanbase on social media that includes 2.5m Twitter followers. |
| 23 | Marta Vieira da Silva | Brazil | Football | She is known by her first name but has also been dubbed The Female Pele, such is her standing in women's football. Home hopes of gold rest on the prolific forward, a face of Coca-Cola and Puma. |
| 24 | Ashton Eaton | USA | Athletics | There are few hotter favourites for gold this summer than decathlete Eaton, who followed London 2012 success with World Championship titles in 2013 and 2015 and also boasts the world record. |
| 25 | Gabriel Barbosa | Brazil | Football | Dubbed Gabigol for his scoring exploits and tipped to follow in the footsteps of Neymar, the 19-year-old is likely to be one of the stars if the hosts can deliver Olympic gold to an expectant nation. |
| 26 | Lexi Thompson | USA | Golf | The world No4 made history by qualifiying for the US Women's Open aged 12. Now a major winner, the Puma, EA Sports, Rolex and Red Bull athlete is among the favourites for gold in Brazil. |
| 27 | Klay Thompson | USA | Basketball | The Golden State Warriors shooting guard and two-time NBA All Star, 26, helped USA win basketball's 2014 World Cup. This year he left Nike's stable to launch his own shoe range with Chinese brand Anta. |
| 28 | Laura Trott | Great Britain | Cycling | Since winning two golds at London 2012, Trott, who counts Prudential and Adidas as sponsors, has taken her world title tally to seven. She is set to race in the scratch, omnium and team pursuit in Rio. |
| 29 | Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce | Jamaica | Athletics | Fraser-Pryce, 29, could pip her more celebrated countryman Bolt to a hat-trick of Olympic 100m titles – albeit only by 24 hours – although the Nike athlete's form has suffered following a toe injury. |
| 30 | Kohei Uchimura | Japan | Gymnastics | The all-around champion's sustained excellence – he has won six world titles in a row and helped Japan win a first team gold for 37 years last year – is why he is regarded as the best gymnast of all time. |
| 31 | Lydia Ko | New Zealand | Golf | Ko won her first LPGA title at 15, shot to world No1 two years later and already has two majors to her name, prompting comparisons between the trajectories of the Korea-born 19-year-old and Tiger Woods. |
| 32 | Eugenie Bouchard | Canada | Tennis | The 2014 Wimbledon finalist is still to fully realise her promise on the court yet the 22-year-old has remained popular with sponsors and boasts an array of contracts with the likes of Coca-Cola, Aviva, Colgate and Nike. |
| 33 | Kirani James | Grenada | Athletics | James is set to defend the 400m title he won at a canter four years ago when still a teenager, and so good is his form this year that observers have tipped him to threaten Michael Johnson's world record. |
| 34 | Qiu Bo | China | Diving | Bo is the man Tom Daley will likely have to beat to win gold in the 10m platform. Both were pipped at London 2012, but the Chinese took Daley's world title in 2011 and has retained that crown twice since. |
| 35 | Sydney McLaughlin | USA | Athletics | McLaughlin, 16, is US athletics' newest phenomenon. The New Jersey schoolgirl, who came third in the 400m hurdles at the national trials, is the youngest American track athlete at an Olympics since 1972. |
| 36 | Dafne Schippers | Netherlands | Athletics | The golden girl of Dutch track and field is the reigning 200m world champion and also has four European titles. Schippers, 24, won world and European heptathlon gold as a junior but has narrowed her focus to sprinting. |
| 37 | David Rudisha | Kenya | Athletics | Rudisha, 27, isn't just the reigning Olympic 800m champion; he is also a two-time world champion, the world record holder, the only person to break 1:41, and owner of the three best times in history. |
| 38 | Simone Biles | USA | Gymnastics | She may be only 19, but Biles has more world titles than any woman in history. Praised for flair as much as precision, the so-called Michael Jordan of gymnastics could bag five golds on her Olympic debut. |
| 39 | Lin Dan | China | Badminton | Lin is badminton's all-time greatest: a five-time world champion, the only man to win the nine-leg Super Grand Slam, and now seeking an unprecedented third Olympic gold in a row in Rio. |
| 40 | Alan Oliveira | Brazil | Para-athletics | Oliveira, 23, rose to prominence by beating Oscar Pistorius at London 2012. He is set to defend his T44 200m Paralympic title on home soil, while trying to dethrone Team GB's Jonnie Peacock in the 100m. |
| 41 | Marianne Vos | Netherlands | Cycling | Road racer Vos, who has deals with Volvo and Oakley, repeated her track gold at Beijing in 2008 on the tarmac of London and is also a three-time world champion in the event, although Brit Lizzie Armitstead now holds that title. |
| 42 | Zhang Jike | China | Table Tennis | Jike became the fastest man to complete the sport's grand slam when he won gold in London, although the 28-year-old with a taste for flamboyant celebrations has won just two individual titles since 2012. |
| 43 | Carlin Isles | USA | Rugby Sevens | With a blistering turn of pace that has seen him dubbed the fastest man in rugby, former sprinter Isles, 26, could be one of the stars of the inaugural Olympic Sevens competition. |
| 44 | Jonnie Peacock | Great Britain | Para-athletics | Cambridge sprinter Peacock, 23, is the T44 100m defending champion who won gold at London 2012 just four months after his international debut. He has since added two European titles and a World Championship. |
| 45 | Sun Yang | China | Swimming | Sun is the first Chinese man to win Olympic swimming gold and holds the 400m and 1,500m freestyle crowns. The 6ft 6in star also has seven world titles plus a string of controversies, including a previous doping ban. |
| 46 | Dina Asher-Smith | Great Britain | Athletics | Asher-Smith is a European champion and Britain's fastest woman ever over 60m, 100m and 200m – and she's still only 20. The south Londoner also juggles track stardom with studying for a history degree at King's College. |
| 47 | Trayvon Bromell | USA | Athletics | Rising star Bromell, 21, was the first junior to run a sub-10 second 100m and took bronze in the World Championships last year. He is set for his first Olympics and already has a deal with New Balance. |
| 48 | Katarina Johnson-Thompson | Great Britain | Athletics | KJT may be in the shadow of defending champion and fellow Brit Ennis-Hill – in competitive terms at least – for now, but is tipped to follow in her footsteps and already boasts a high profile, with Nike marketing her internationally. |
| 49 | Wayde van Niekerk | South Africa | Athletics | Van Niekerk is the only man to have run under 10 seconds in 100m, sub-20 in 200m and under 44 in 400m. He won World Championship gold in the longest distance last year and sponsors include Adidas and Richard Mille. |
| 50 | Jaheel Hyde | Jamaica | Athletics | The latest track prospect to emerge from Jamaica's enviable production line, 19-year-old Hyde warmed up for Rio by defending his 400m hurdles title at the World Under-20 Championships in July. |
| 51 | Teddy Riner | France | Judo | A colossus of the sport in every sense. The 6ft 8in and 20 stone Riner is the most successful judoka ever, with eight world titles and Olympic gold from London 2012. Sponsored by Powerade, Adidas, Habitat and Orange. |
| 52 | Markus Rehm | Germany | Para-athletics | Rehm is the reigning Paralympic champion and world record holder in the T44 long jump. His distances rival those of able-bodied athletes and he hopes to follow Oscar Pistorius by one day competing in the Olympics. |
| 53 | Andre De Grasse | Canada | Athletics | Canadian De Grasse, 21, won double gold in the 100m and 200m at the Pan-Am Games last year and followed that with World Championship bronze in the shorter disnatce and 4x100m relay. |