Soccer is the world’s hottest sport. So the world’s most marketable athlete have to be a soccer participant, proper?
Not this yr.
Basketball? Golf? Tennis?
All broadly performed round the world, and all good guesses.
In 2025, nonetheless, the athlete making the most cash from sponsorships and endorsements is a baseball participant: the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, of course.
Ohtani made an estimated $100 million in advertising income, Sportico reported Wednesday, adopted by the Lakers’ LeBron James at $85 million, soccer stars Lionel Messi ($70 million) and Cristiano Ronaldo ($60 million) and golfer Rory McIlroy ($55 million).
Ohtani joined the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, tennis star Roger Federer and golf icon Tiger Woods as the solely athletes ever to hit $100 million in annual advertising income, in line with Sportico.
In Ohtani, whose face seems on every little thing from airplanes to skin care products, baseball in the end has its Michael Jordan: the celebrity that has transcended sports activities and ascended to the standing of global popular culture icon.
The timing couldn’t be higher for baseball — or worse.
Two months in the past, a dramatic World Series captured document numbers of viewers around the world. Two months from now, the World Baseball Classic takes middle stage — led by Ohtani and the defending champions from Japan.
However, 11 months from now, baseball’s collective bargaining settlement expires. If owners lock out players in pursuit of a wage cap or different wage restrictions, the 2027 season could be in danger, and the face of sport could disappear together with some or all of the season schedule.
The leaders in annual advertising income amongst athletes previous to 2025, in line with Sportico: Curry ($100 million) in 2024; James ($80 million) in 2023; James ($90 million) in 2022; and combined martial artist Conor McGregor ($180 million) in 2021.