With star players now making hundreds of millions of dollars to endorse various products and companies, Onion Sports examines the most lucrative and groundbreaking athlete endorsement deals of all time:
Floyd Mayweather: Home Depot is paying Mayweather $120 million over five years for the retailer’s line of “Mayweather Approved” flat-head wood screws
Danica Patrick: The popular NASCAR driver inked a lucrative contract with Chevron that requires her to fill up at one of the company’s local gas stations during every race
Cristiano Ronaldo: The Real Madrid megastar probably makes pocket cash endorsing some weird European cell phone service
Jackie Robinson: Robinson’s landmark 1953 deal with Hilton Hotels allowed him to stay in their rooms
Scottie Pippen: Served as the Marlboro Man for 15 years
Alex Smith: Smith recently agreed to a hefty deal making him the official spokesman for Hammermill’s 32 lb., 8.5” x 11” printer paper
Texas Longhorns Football Team: Players may receive part of Nike’s $6 million annual licensing payment to the program only after they graduate and then land a job as the university’s athletic director
Scott Linehan: The Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator receives $10 million per year from Mattel for the use of his likeness in its popular line of NFL assistant coach dolls
Mark McGwire: The face of the popular “Got Milk?” ad campaign succeeded in convincing the demographic of MLB front office executives that dairy can make you inhumanly powerful
