Muhammad Ali's death this month led to an "extraordinary outpouring of coverage" from the media, coverage that will most likely "increase his value to companies that want to link their products to him," according to Richard Sandomir of the N.Y. TIMES. Rights to the Ali brand were acquired by Robert Sillerman's CKX in '06, then "bought by the private equity firm Apollo Global Management and then by Authentic Brands Group" in '13. ABG "sweetened the deal" for the Ali family. In addition to a 20% cut from each deal, the Alis also "received a stake in Authentic Brands." The company has "consulted with the Alis," largely with his wife, Lonnie, "about the deals it plans to make." Since taking over the licensing rights, Authentic Brands has made deals with Porsche, Under Armour, Toyota, Roots of Fight and Supreme, which is "selling a limited edition of hoodies and T-shirts using a Polaroid shot taken by Andy Warhol." For UA, producing T-shirts, tops, shoes, shorts and warm-up jackets that "evoke Ali's past is a bet on linking his deep heritage to the company's thriving business." Expectations are "more modest for Ali" than for Warriors G and UA endorser Stephen Curry, whose shoes have "become the sort of hot product that they are drastically lifting Under Amour's business." Authentic Brands is seeking deals in categories like "timepieces, airlines, energy drinks, financial services and computers." There is even a possibility of a Broadway show and a hotel that was once "envisioned by Sillerman until the recession upended real estate" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/20). SportsBusiness Journal last week noted there "will always be a market" for Ali.
