The 23-year-old’s $60 million 12-month payday crushes her own record for a female athlete. Dropping out of the French Open could open the door for more sponsors.
from the Western & Southern Open in protest over the shooting of Jacob Blake and then wore face masks bearing the names of Black victims of racist violence or police brutality throughout the U.S. Open.
It’s the kind of stance that might send corporate sponsors running. Not likely for Osaka. The tennis star has made $60 million in 12 months—$55 million from endorsements—demolishing the earnings record for female athletes she setlist of the world’s 50 highest-paid athletes—which will be published on Friday—well ahead of men’s stars like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal and a significant jump from last year’s No. 29 ranking.
“We wouldn’t be having this conversation if she had broken her ankle,” says Christie Nordhielm, an associate professor of marketing at Georgetown University. “With mental health, we have to treat it just like physical health. Would breaking her leg hurt her with sponsors? Things happen.” For most tennis pros, a broken ankle—or a public protest—that took them off television for a spell might actually hurt their earnings. Sponsors agree to pay big bucks to top players with the expectation that they’ll make deep runs at major tournaments, giving their logos plenty of airtime. But Osaka is not just any tennis pro.
Nike quickly issued a statement saying: “Our thoughts are with Naomi. We support her and recognize her courage in sharing her own mental health experience.” Brands including GoDaddy, Hyperice, Levi’s, Nissan, Nissin Foods and TAG Heuer offered their backing in similar emailed statements, and
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Naomi Osaka Withdraws From French Open to Focus on Mental Health“I get waves of anxiety before I speak to the world’s media,' reads a statement as Naomi Osaka withdraws from the French Open for mental health reasons.
Read more »
What Happens When Mental-Health Issues Get in the Way of WorkNaomi Osaka’s tournament withdrawal highlights a thorny question for many companies: How to handle situations when an employee's mental-health needs conflict with the needs of their job?
Read more »
Will Smith Adds His Support for Naomi Osaka After Her Withdrawal From the French OpenWill Smith, Viola Davis, Dionne Warwick, and others have shown support for Naomi Osaka after she chose to exit the French Open.
Read more »
The World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes: Conor McGregor Leads A Group Of Sports Stars Unfazed By The PandemicA record four athletes—including one quarterback and two soccer legends—each earned $100 million or more in the past year.
Read more »
The World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes: Conor McGregor Leads A Group Of Sports Stars Unfazed By The PandemicA record four athletes—including one quarterback and two soccer legends—each earned $100 million or more in the past year.
Read more »
What We Can All Learn From Naomi Osaka About Setting BoundariesTennis superstar Naomi Osaka recently announced she was withdrawing from the French Open. Here are the lessons we can learn from the way Osaka handled the situation—with grace, humility, and self-respect.
Read more »