Soccer is the world’s most popular sport. So the world’s most marketable athlete must be a soccer player, right?
Not this year.
Basketball? Golf? Tennis?
All widely played around the world, and all good guesses.
In 2025, however, the athlete making the most money from sponsorships and endorsements is a baseball player: the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, of course.
Ohtani made an estimated $100 million in marketing revenue, Sportico reported Wednesday, followed 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).