Jose Sanchez
Research expert covering society, economy, & politics for Latin America
Sports sponsorship - statistics & facts
Professional sports is one of the most lucrative industries for sponsorships and brands. This is evidenced in the fact that the size of the sports sponsorship market worldwide exceeded 100 billion U.S. dollars in 2023 and was expected to almost double by 2030. One of the biggest regions for sports sponsorship is North America, which is home to some of the world's biggest sports leagues such as the NFL and the NBA. Indeed, the team sponsorship revenue of the NFL stood at almost 2.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2024 alone. Across the Atlantic, meanwhile, the size of the European sports sponsorship market surpassed 32 billion euros in 2024.
Overall, the immense financial power of professional sports, from team franchises to individual superstars, continues to drive unprecedented growth and opportunities in the global sponsorship landscape. As the industry evolves, brands and athletes alike will remain key players in shaping the future of sports sponsorship worldwide.
The world's biggest sporting franchises
Given the commercial success of North America's sports leagues, it comes as no surprise that some of the most valuable sports teams worldwide were American franchises. At the top of the pile were the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, whose brand value in 2024 amounted to over 10 billion U.S. dollars. For comparison, the most valuable soccer brand in 2024 was Real Madrid, with an estimated net worth of just over 1.8 billion U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, the National Basketball Association has seen its sponsorship revenue follow a similar upward trajectory to the NFL, reaching 1.62 billion U.S. dollars in the 2024/25 season.Global superstars
While it is generally teams and franchises that build up a brand and fan base, individual athletes have also become brands within themselves in recent years. The highest paid athlete worldwide in 2023/24 was soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Although the majority of the Portuguese attacker's earnings came from his on-field exploits for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, he also earned 50 million U.S. dollars through endorsements with the likes of Nike, Tag Heuer, and his own CR7 brand. However, despite Ronaldo topping the ranking, it was basketball stars that made up almost 36 of the top 100 highest earners in that season. LeBron James, for example, earned almost two-thirds of his wealth through endorsements in the 2024/25 season, despite having one of the highest salaries in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers.Overall, the immense financial power of professional sports, from team franchises to individual superstars, continues to drive unprecedented growth and opportunities in the global sponsorship landscape. As the industry evolves, brands and athletes alike will remain key players in shaping the future of sports sponsorship worldwide.
