Nathaniel Fried
The United States has produced some of the world’s most successful and influential athletes throughout history and continues to pump out the talent to this day. However, with more money being splashed out than ever before, which superstar athletes do we think rank as the most marketable to the most sponsors in the market?
Simone Biles (Gymnast)
Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, 24-year-old Simone Biles shot to the world’s attention in 2013 having broken into the US gymnastics side as a 15-year-old.
She has since gone on to become the world’s most decorated gymnast, winning a whopping combined total of 32 Olympic and World Championship medals. Biles’ seven Olympic medals are also tied with Shannon Miller as the most won by a female American gymnast, making her a household name from coast to coast.
Simone Biles signed with Octagon sports agency in 2015, the same agency representing the likes of Aly Raisman and Michael Phelps, as well as signing lucrative deals with the likes of Nike, Gap, GK Elite Sportswear, Kellogg’s, Procter & Gamble, The Hershey Company, Beats by Dr. Dre and United Airlines, making her one of the biggest brand ambassadors for women in the active lifestyle community.
Christian Pulisic (Soccer Player)
The youngest ever player to captain the Men’s United States national side, Christian Pulisic has had a remarkable rise from his roots in Hershey, Pennsylvania to the summit of the most prestigious soccer league in the world.
Pulisic has experience playing top-level soccer in both Germany with Borussia Dortmund and in England with Chelsea, two sides with elite histories of winning silverware in their domestic divisions.
Check out SinkorSwimSports for a complete run-through of Christian Pulisic Premier League stats, but the American’s most impressive records are undoubtedly becoming the youngest American to win the UEFA Champions League and the most expensive American transfer in soccer history.
Ashlyn Harris (Soccer Player)
Born in the beautiful Satellite Beach in Florida, Ashlyn Harris is an American soccer player currently playing for the Orlando Pride and the Women’s national side. Having climbed through the youth ranks, Harris made her official debut in March 2013, she is one of the country’s most decorated international players, winning the 2015 and 2019 Women’s World Cups.
Thanks to her achievements on the field, Harris was a part of the first women’s team to be honoured with a Ticker Tape parade in New York, being given the keys to the city by Mayor Bill de Blasio, as well as being hosted by President Barack Obama at the White House.
An influential figure on and off the pitch, Harris has also become one of the most famous players in North American soccer thanks to her interests in the worlds of fashion, skateboarding, tattoos, music, and surfing.
Alex Morgan (Soccer Player)
Another one of the United States’ 2015 and 2019 World Cup-winning sides, Alex Morgan is perhaps the most talented female soccer player the country has ever produced. Having grown up in San Dimas in California, the 32-year-old has played over 190 times for her country, racking up over a century’s worth of goals for the side since her debut in 2010.
Having been named US Soccer Female Athlete of the Year and a finalist in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2012, Morgan has diversified her career in a whole host of directions to become one of the biggest names in the sports world.
Ranked by Time as the highest-paid female soccer player in the world on the back of her huge portfolio of endorsements with the likes of Ubisoft, McDonalds, Coca-Cola, the Bank of America, and Panasonic, she has been listed as one of the most influential people on the planet and even has a New York Times Bestseller record to her name.
Nyjah Huston (Skateboarder)
26-year-old Nyjah Huston was born in Davis, California, and has established himself as the world’s most successful professional skateboarder since arriving on the scene back in 2010.
He has been named overall champion at competition series in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2019, making him the world’s highest-paid skateboarder in the world and the record-holder for the most amount of prize money won at events and competitions in history.
Having gone viral as an amateur earlier in his career, Huston has become one of the most recognisable faces for a brand new wave of sports enthusiasts. He has signed hugely lucrative deals with the likes of Nike SB, Diamond Supply Co., Ricta Wheels, Monster Energy, Social CBD, Doritos, Mob Grip, Mountain Dew, flatbread Neapolitan pizzeria, and Adapt Technology.
Still one of the most viral sports stars in the world, Huston has over 5 million followers on Instagram, 267k followers on Twitter, and 500k subscribers on YouTube, with his video collaboration with Justin Bieber breaking 4 million views at the time of writing.
