Top 15 Most Marketable Athletes And Social Media Influence

How is the 15 Most Marketable Athletes list decided? The short answer is a lot of smart data and clever analysis.

Here is how it breaks down:

• Social performance metrics: 125 total points
  – Frequency: total number of posts
  – Reach: total number of followers/likes across the four different platforms
  – Engagement: average engagement rate and follower interaction rate
• Audience metrics: 125 total points
  – Fan Demo: percentage of social audience that is female, Gen Z or Millennial
  – Fan Attractiveness: percentage audience with an affinity for music, gaming, international/global affairs or luxury goods.

The final Athletes Influencer Score is based on relative strength across the different categories and subcategories in direct comparison to the overall pool of athletes analysed.

1: Simone Biles

American, 24, Gymnastics

Frequency: 9

Reach: 50

Engagement: 27

Fan Demo: 64

Fan Attract: 33

Influencer Score: 183

2: Naomi Osaka

Japanese, 23, Tennis

Frequency: 11

Reach: 55

Engagement: 27

Fan Demo: 50

Fan Attract: 36

Influencer Score: 179

Naomi Osaka became the highest-paid female athlete in history last year, taking home a record $37.4 million.

But now she's running up the score, earning $55 million from tournament winnings & endorsements this year.

The craziest part? She's only 23.

(h/t @Sportico) pic.twitter.com/nJOY1SAANI

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) August 24, 2021

3: Ashly Harris

American, 35, Soccer

Frequency: 10

Reach: 39

Engagement: 37

Fan Demo: 62

Fan Attract: 30

Influencer Score: 178

4: Canelo Alvarez

Mexican, 31, Boxing

Frequency: 12

Reach: 55

Engagement: 37

Fan Demo: 41

Fan Attract: 31

Influencer Score: 177

? #CaneloPlant | November 6 ?@Canelo | @CANELOTEAM pic.twitter.com/EJ1trBQhAG

— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) August 20, 2021

5: Paulo Dybala

Argentine, 27, Soccer

Frequency: 6

Reach: 58

Engagement: 35

Fan Demo: 57

Fan Attract: 21

Influencer Score: 176

?️ What makes Paulo Dybala more marketable than Cristiano Ronaldo? @tomkuhr, chief marketing officer at @greenfly, explains the appeal of the Juventus forward.

Read the full list here ? https://t.co/29GnC84Kwq#SP50MM #SportsBiz pic.twitter.com/aTl9XJ2gM3

— SportsPro (@SportsPro) August 24, 2021

6: Cristiano Ronaldo

Portuguese, 36, Soccer

Frequency: 12

Reach: 60

Engagement: 12

Fan Demo: 55

Fan Attract: 22

Influencer Score: 174

?⚽️??? pic.twitter.com/MXxJSztxmy

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) August 12, 2021

7: Ali Krieger

American, 37, Soccer

Frequency: 10

Reach: 42

Engagement: 37

Fan Demo: 58

Fan Attract: 27

Influencer Score: 174

8: Stefanos Tsitsipas

Greek, 23, Tennis

Frequency: 11

Reach: 42

Engagement: 38

Fan Demo: 55

Fan Attract: 28

Influencer Score: 173

9: Novak Djokovic

Serbian, 34, Tennis

Frequency: 12

Reach: 55

Engagement: 17

Fan Demo: 56

Fan Attract: 33

Influencer Score: 172

10: Alex Morgan

American, 32, Soccer

Frequency: 11

Reach: 53

Engagement: 27

Fan Demo: 50

Fan Attract: 30

Influencer Score: 171

11: Hardik Pandya

India, 27, Cricket

Frequency: 12

Reach: 58

Engagement: 38

Fan Demo: 47

Fan Attract: 15

Influencer Score: 169

12: Lionel Messi

Argentine, 34, Soccer

Frequency: 7

Reach: 59

Engagement: 28

Fan Demo: 45

Fan Attract: 30

Influencer Score: 169

An Instagram photo of Lionel Messi holding the Copa América trophy is now the most-liked sports photo in Instagram history, breaking a record previously held by Cristiano Ronaldo. pic.twitter.com/n6u4QFXVbP

— Carl Lewis (@Carl_LewisZA) July 19, 2021

13: Roger Federer

Swiss, 40, Tennis

Frequency: 5

Reach: 54

Engagement: 24

Fan Demo: 56

Fan Attract: 29

Influencer Score: 168

14: Sergio Ramos

Spanish, 35, Soccer

Frequency: 11

Reach: 59

Engagement: 26

Fan Demo: 54

Fan Attract: 18

Influencer Score: 167

15: Karim Benzema

French, 33, Soccer

Frequency: 13

Reach: 59

Engagement: 20

Fan Demo: 52

Fan Attract: 24

Influencer Score: 167

They all want to do the same ☄️ #nueve pic.twitter.com/DEXsE4xgms

— Karim Benzema (@Benzema) August 17, 2021