(This post was updated on October 5, 2011).
How much money is Usain Bolt, worth (globally)?
[Usain Bolt is a Track and Field (Athletics) Superstar who currently has the 100m (men) and 200m (men) world records of of 9.58 secs and 19.19 secs respectively.
He and three other Jamaicans, hold the 4x100m (men) world record of 37.04 secs).
He has broken the 100m world record, three (3) times and the 200m world record, twice...
...He and his teammates broke the 4x100m relay record in the 2008 Beijing Olympics; they gained a Championship Record in the 2009 Berlin World Championships and again broke the world record at the 2011 World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea.
He won three (3) gold medals in the Beijing Olympics and three (3) more in the 2009 Berlin World Championships. He has not lost a major championship race in the past three (3) years].
The rest of this post contains information as to:
1) Usain Bolt's net worth
2) Usain Bolt's worth to his sponsors (in monetary terms)
3) How Usain Bolt and other athletes can generate additional revenue from themselves, via commercialization of their Intellelectual Property Rights.
This information is only available to MOU Blog's Premium Subscribers:
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Well Oakland Raiders' owner, Al Davis, seems to think he'll be such a hit with American football fans, he's offered Usain a US $450 million contract, over two (2) years.
The thing is that Usain Bolt has never played American football and doesn't know much about the sport.
But I think that once his Track and Field days are over (in the next 12 years)...he should seriously consider the offer.
Furthermore, I understand that, as a result of Usain Bolt's accomplishments during the 2009 Berlin World Championships, that Europe has caught Bolt-Fever...
...Any, and everything with his name, image or his mannerisms, are going like hot bread!
E.g. at the 2009 Berlin World Championships, we saw Bolt memorabilia being displayed on TV (a yellow sponge with green border, entitled "Bolt Arms", that featured his famous outstretched "To The World" arms) ... and I wondered...Is Usain getting any royalties from these sales?
During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, following his world record run of 9.69 secs, where he displayed his Puma shoes (his shoe and gear sponsor), Puma shoe sales skyrocket to two (2) million pairs of shoes, in two days!
The average cost of a Puma shoe is US $65, so that's easily US $130 million in revenue, in just two (2) days!
With licensing fees being between 10-30% of revenue, this could represent revenue (royalties) for Usain of between US $13-39 million.
(Royalties are a certain percentage of revenue that is earned by the owners of intellectual property, from sales of items sold, bearing the name, image or mannerisms of the intellectual property owner. The intellectual property owner is said to license the use of his/her name, image or mannerisms to the company selling the item.
The licensing fee is the percentage earned by the intellectual property owner).
To put some perspective on what one of his major sponsors - Puma, earns each year:
In 2007, Puma sales were €2.4 billion (US $3.6 billion - at February 26, 2008 exchange rate). In 2008, amidst a depression, sales were €2.52 billion (US $3.62 billion).
In 2009 - sales were €2.5 billion (US $3.6 billion) and in 2010 - sales were €2.7 billion (US $3.9 billion)...
Projected sales for Puma for 2011 is €3 billion (US $4.3 billion).
Bolt commanded a US $250,000 appearance fee for each event that he participated in, back in 2009. As of July 2011, that figure was US $310,000.
So event organizers have to be prepared to pay him at least US $310,000 for him to run. (I can assure you that this amount is at most 1/10th of what event organizers would gain from having him run at their events).
The fact is that Usain Bolt is now a globally-recognized brand name...
So, I truly hope that Usain Bolt's managers are properly managing his intellectual property rights.
For if properly managed, Usain Bolt is easily worth trillions to his present and future sponsors.
[I would like to thank Brunel University for the use of their inset photo above, of Usain Bolt (in Puma gear) at Brunel University, making his famous,"To The World" sign].
Gillian
Copyright 2009-2011 Gillian Campbell. All Rights Reserved.
Sources Include
1) Puma's Earnings and Estimates Summary 2009-2012, via Bloomberg BusinessWeek, July 29,2011
2) Article, "Want Usain Bolt? It'll cost ya" by Joe Battaglia, Universal Sports, July 13, 2011
3) Article, "Usain Bolt receives $450 million contract offer from the Raiders", SportsPickle.com, August 17,2009
4) Article, "Germany Infected by Bolt Fever", by Cathrin Schaer - Spiegel Online International, August 17,2009
5) PUMA at a Glance: Consolidated Financials for 2008, Puma News, 2009
6) Article, "Usain Bolt $250,000 dollar appearance fee", SingaporeAthletics.com, April 7, 2009,
7) Press Release: "Puma Announces It's 2007 Financial Results - Sales up 4.7 Percent", February 26,2008
Hey Cellulean,
Thanks much for your comment. :)
Yes, he will be quite wealthy...
Let's hope he's managing his money well...
So that his wealth will last...
Gillian
Posted by: Gillian Campbell | October 25, 2010 at 05:31 PM
Jeez, Usain is the man
I can't imagine how wealthy he will be in 5 years time!
Really put Jamaica all the way up there!
Posted by: Cellulean | October 23, 2010 at 08:10 AM