Menu
Marketing and Sponsorship

Li Na's Popularity In China Poised To Make Her Top Earning Female In Sports

Tennis player Li Na is “poised to become the richest woman in sport as companies fight to cash in on her enormous popularity in China,” according to Malcolm Moore of the London TELEGRAPH. Li has signed “at least $42 million of sponsorship deals this year with the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Rolex and Haagen Dazs, who believe that she may be the key to the lucrative Chinese market.” Her agent, Max Eisenbud, said it was "hard to set a price" after Li became the first Chinese player to win a grand slam tennis tournament, adding, "We had to change it a lot." Li currently is “only out-earned” by tennis player Maria Sharapova. Shanghai-based Zou Marketing Managing Dir Terry Rhoads said, "What a transformation! Two years ago, she could not buy a sponsor. Now she is the only person with a Nike deal who can wear patches from other sponsors on her clothes. They told Nike: if you blink, there are a host of Chinese sports brands ready to pay big money." He added that Li is “in a seller’s market” as international brands “try to chase the Chinese market.” Rhoads: "You have a lot of people searching for someone who has credibility, who can make the needle move and make Chinese stop and think. And Li Na has separated herself from the pack" (TELEGRAPH.co.uk, 8/2).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2011/08/03/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/Li-Na.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2011/08/03/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/Li-Na.aspx

CLOSE