Jon Rahm-Shohei Ohtani, it’s not only sport

Talent, image and values are the pillars that support athletes Shohei Ohtani and Jon Rahm. While Ohtani has signed the highest contract in sports history, with a figure of 700 million to join the MLB Dodgers, Rahm will join the controversial LIV Golf league for an estimated amount of more than 500 million.

The expert in sports branding, Martina Olivas, explains in an interview with EFE the reason why her brands are so valuable.

Jon Rahm, news

Shohei Ohtani is a renowned Japanese baseball player, recognized for his considerable talents in pitching and hitting.

Currently, he plays in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Los Angeles Angels, but recently signed with the Dodgers for an impressive $700 million for the next 10 seasons. His unique ability to play in a versatile manner has established him as a prominently exciting figure in the world of baseball.

On the other hand, Rahm, the holder of the coveted ‘green jacket’ after winning the Augusta Masters, has become a symbol of the PGA. With a cool presence and impeccable technique, Rahm is also a student of the history of the sport.

His signing is the culmination of the efforts of the Saudi public fund that finances the LIV to obtain the most representative player in the world of golf. “There is a combination of factors to consider. On the one hand, we seek to attract the best sporting talent, while on the other, we seek to have the best brand image.

It is essential to transmit specific values through careful communication and image. This is stated by Olivas, owner of the company specialized in recruiting talent and sports branding, Woman Goal, in an interview with EFE.

In this sense, athletes like Rahm and Ohtani, who project a respectful and elegant image on the field, are extremely attractive to renowned brands such as the LIV and Dodgers teams, who take these aspects into account when negotiating economic contracts.

On the other hand, Olivas highlights the importance of taking care of the image and presence of the athlete in the sporting environment, since in addition to improving his position in the market, it is a fundamental aspect for the training and future projection of the athlete.

Likewise, emphasis is placed on the importance of taking into account the short careers of some athletes and the possibility of injuries, which makes it even more significant to take care of the details surrounding the sport.

In short, the million-dollar contracts of Mahomes, Cristiano and Trout are an example of the importance that these aspects have acquired in the lives of elite athletes.” In recent years, sports contracts have reached exorbitant figures with prominent names such as Patrick Mahomes, double champion of the NFL Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, who was signed by the Al Nassr team of Arabia Saudi, and star baseball player Mike Trout of the MLB Angels.

These athletes have signed agreements that have reached historical records. In 2019, Trout, known as one of MLB’s best hitters, signed a $417 million contract, the fourth-highest sports contract in history. On the other hand, Mahomes, who at 28 years old is already considered one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, with a style that resembles Tom Brady, was blocked by the Chiefs in 2020 with a nearly ten-year contract.

of 500 million dollars. On December 30, 2022, Cristiano Ronaldo signed a contract with the Al Nassr team of Saudi Arabia for an estimated €200 million per year, including commercial agreements. His arrival in Saudi generated a domino effect that convinced stars such as the Brazilians Neymar Junior and Roberto Firmino, the Frenchman Karim Benzema, the Senegalese Sadio Mané and Kalidou Koulibaly, and the Algerian Riyad Mahrez to join the Saudi league with contracts of incalculable values.

. Furthermore, in the golf industry, the LIV-PGA “war”, involving Spaniard Jon Rahm, has led to a new battle between tour organizing groups. Although the situation is still developing, it is evident that significant financial moves are being made in the sports world.