Team USA’s highest earners are all basketball players, study finds
Story credit https://gamblespot.com
- Team USA’s most followed Olympics athletes list is dominated by basketball players, with seven out of the top ten playing the sport
- Lebron James is the most influential Team USA sportsperson on Instagram, with 159 million followers and the ability to charge up to $412K per sponsored post.
- Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are the second and third most followed Team USA Olympians on Instagram.
Research has revealed that the most followed Team USA athlete on Instagram is professional basketball player, Lebron James.
The study, conducted by sports betting experts GambleSpot, analysed 597 Team USA athletes to uncover which are the most followed on Instagram. They then ran each athlete’s handle through Inzpire’s Instagram earnings calculator to determine how much each could earn from a single sponsored Instagram post.
Topping the list is professional basketball player Lebron James. The 39-year-old Lakers power forward who hails from Ohio, has amassed a whopping 159 million followers on his Instagram account and could earn up to $412,800 per sponsored post on Instagram.
Earning up to $186,300 per sponsored post, fellow basketball player Stephen Curry ranks second. Curry boasts a total of 56 million followers on his Instagram handle @stephencurry30.
Professional basketball player Kevin Durant placed third, earning up to $61,800 per sponsored post, with his account boasting 13 million followers under the Instagram handle @easymoneysniper.
Fourth place is taken by Simone Biles, earning up to $45,600 for each sponsored Instagram post. The Olympic gymnast has amassed a following of 8 million under her Instagram handle @simonebiles.
Rounding out the top five is professional basketball player, Joel Embiid, who could earn up to $39,900 per sponsored post. The Philadelphia 76ers center has accrued 7 million followers, under the Instagram handle @joelembiid.
The top 10 most influential Team USA athletes
|
Rank |
Team USA Olympic athlete |
Sport |
Instagram followers |
Approximate earning per sponsored Instagram post |
|
1. |
Lebron James |
Basketball |
159,000,000 |
$412,800 |
|
2. |
Stephen Curry |
Basketball |
56,700,000 |
$186,300 |
|
3. |
Kevin Durant |
Basketball |
13,400,000 |
$61,800 |
|
4. |
Simone Biles |
Gymnastics |
8,600,000 |
$45,600 |
|
5. |
Joel Embiid |
Basketball |
7,600,000 |
$39,900 |
|
6. |
Jayson Tatum |
Basketball |
7,100,000 |
$37,900 |
|
7. |
Devin Booker |
Basketball |
5,500,000 |
$31,300 |
|
8. |
Nyjah Huston |
Skateboarding |
5,200,000 |
$30,100 |
|
9. |
Anthony Edwards |
Basketball |
3,600,000 |
$22,800 |
|
10. |
Sunisa Lee |
Gymnastics |
2,000,000 |
$14,800 |
Speaking on the findings, Andriy Nezdropa, CEO of Adwise Partners LLC, the company behind GambleSpot, said:
“Investigating the Instagram impact and earnings from sponsored posts of Team USA athletes sheds light on the economic opportunities available to athletes in the digital era.
“Brands are always on the lookout for athletes with substantial social media followings to endorsements their products or services. Identifying which athletes are the influential provides insight as to who brands are most likely to collaborate with.
“Monitoring current trends in social media influence can help predict future stars and changes in the sports marketing landscape. It can offer a forecast of which athletes might become the next major influencers.”
Story credit https://gamblespot.com
Sources:
Methodology:
597 Olympic sports stars were gathered from the Team USA website. Athletes with 1 million or more Instagram followers were run through Inzpire’s Instagram pricing calculator to find how much each would earn for a single sponsored Instagram post.
Team USA althletes ranked by potential Instagram earnings
|
Rank |
Team USA Olympic athlete |
Sport |
Instagram followers |
Approximate earning per sponsored Instagram post |
|
1. |
Lebron James |
Basketball |
159,000,000 |
$412,800 |
|
2. |
Stephen Curry |
Basketball |
56,700,000 |
$186,300 |
|
3. |
Kevin Durant |
Basketball |
13,400,000 |
$61,800 |
|
4. |
Simone Biles |
Gymnastics |
8,600,000 |
$45,600 |
|
5. |
Joel Embiid |
Basketball |
7,600,000 |
$39,900 |
|
6. |
Jayson Tatum |
Basketball |
7,100,000 |
$37,900 |
|
7. |
Devin Booker |
Basketball |
5,500,000 |
$31,300 |
|
8. |
Nyjah Huston |
Skateboarding |
5,200,000 |
$30,100 |
|
9. |
Anthony Edwards |
Basketball |
3,600,000 |
$22,800 |
|
10. |
Suni Lee |
Gymnastics |
2,000,000 |
$14,800 |
|
11. |
Ilona Maher |
Rugby |
2,000,000 |
$14,600 |
|
12. |
Coco Gauff |
Tennis |
1,700,000 |
$13,200 |
|
13. |
John John Florence |
Surfing |
1,600,000 |
$12,100 |
|
14. |
Alex Bowen |
Water polo |
1,500,000 |
$11,600 |
|
15. |
Cameron Brink |
3×3 Basketball |
1,300,000 |
$10,600 |
|
16. |
Sabrina Ionescu |
Basketball |
1,300,000 |
$10,400 |
|
17. |
Hailey Van Lith |
Basketball |
1,200,000 |
$9,900 |
|
18. |
Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone |
Track and field |
1,100,000 |
$9,600 |
|
19. |
Scottie Scheffler |
Golf |
1,100,000 |
$9,400 |
|
20.(=) |
Kelsey Plum |
Basketball |
1,100,000 |
$9,200 |
|
20.(=) |
A’ja Wilson |
Basketball |
1,100,000 |
$9,200 |
|
21. |
Chris Joslin |
Skateboarding |
1,000,000 |
$8,700 |
|
22. |
Bam Adebayo |
Basketball |
1,000,000 |
$8,500 |
|
23. |
Chari Hawkins |
Track and field |
1,000,000 |
$8,400 |
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
