Anthony Joshua heads SportsPro's 2017 list of the world's most marketable athletes, ahead of basketball superstar Stephen Curry and Manchester United soccer player Paul Pogba.
US gymnast Simone Biles is the highest new entry and highest-ranked female athlete at eight, while Dele Alli is the biggest climber at 13. There are 36 men in the list and 14 women. Ten of the entries play soccer, six golf, five tennis, four basketball and three baseball. There are 20 Americans in the list, more than any other nationality, with 19 countries represented across 22 sports overall.
Three former ever-presents drop out of this eighth edition of the list, which is based on marketing potential over the next three years: Usain Bolt, who retires from athletics later this summer, and soccer superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The list at a glance:
1. Anthony Joshua – Boxing – UK
2. Stephen Curry – Basketball – USA
3. Paul Pogba – Soccer – France
4. Conor McGregor – MMA – Ireland
5. Virat Kohli – Cricket – India
8. Simone Biles – Gymnastics – USA
9. Mikaela Shiffrin – Skiing – USA
10. Odell Beckham Jr – Football – USA
11. Lydia Ko – Golf – New Zealand
12. Dak Prescott – Football – USA
14. Lexi Thompson – Golf – USA
15. Connor McDavid – Ice hockey – Canada
16. Alex Morgan – Soccer – USA
17. Kei Nishikori – Tennis – Japan
18. Eden Hazard – Soccer – Belgium
19. Mike Trout – Baseball – USA
21. Garbine Muguruza – Tennis – Spain
23. Andre de Grasse – Athletics – Canada
24 Pierre-Emerick Aubemayang – Soccer – Gabon
25. Lewis Hamilton – Motorsport – UK
26 Dustin Johnson – Golf – USA
27. Gabriel Jesus – Soccer – Brazil
28. Maverick Vinales – Motorcycling – Spain
29. Katie Ledecky – Swimming – USA
30. Kris Bryant – Baseball – USA
31. Milos Raonic – Tennis – Canada
32. Brooke Henderson – Golf – Canada
33. Christian Pulisic – Soccer – USA
34. Mallory Pugh – Soccer – USA
35. Rory McIlroy – Golf – Ireland
36. Russell Westbrook – Basketball – USA
37. Angela Lee – MMA – Singapore
38. Max Verstappen – Motorsport – Netherlands
39. Chloe Kim – Snowboarding – USA
41. Giannis Antetokoumpo – Basketball – Greece
42. John John Florence – Surfing – USA
43. Alexander Zverev – Tennis – Germany
44. Beauden Barrett – Rugby union – New Zealand
45. Peter Sagan – Cycling – Slovakia
46. Evgenia Medvedeva – Figure skating – Russia
47. Eugenie Bouchard – Tennis – Canada
48. Ma Long – Table Tennis – China
49. James Harden – Basketball – USA
50. Lindsey Vonn – Skiing – USA
Anthony Joshua heads SportsPro's 2017 list of the world's most marketable athletes, ahead of basketball superstar Stephen Curry and Manchester United soccer player Paul Pogba.
US gymnast Simone Biles is the highest new entry and highest-ranked female athlete at eight, while Dele Alli is the biggest climber at 13. There are 36 men in the list and 14 women. Ten of the entries play soccer, six golf, five tennis, four basketball and three baseball. There are 20 Americans in the list, more than any other nationality, with 19 countries represented across 22 sports overall.
Three former ever-presents drop out of this eighth edition of the list, which is based on marketing potential over the next three years: Usain Bolt, who retires from athletics later this summer, and soccer superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The list at a glance:
1. Anthony Joshua – Boxing – UK
2. Stephen Curry – Basketball – USA
3. Paul Pogba – Soccer – France
4. Conor McGregor – MMA – Ireland
5. Virat Kohli – Cricket – India
6. Jordan Spieth – Golf – USA
7. Neymar – Soccer – Brazil
8. Simone Biles – Gymnastics – USA
9. Mikaela Shiffrin – Skiing – USA
10. Odell Beckham Jr – Football – USA
11. Lydia Ko – Golf – New Zealand
12. Dak Prescott – Football – USA
13. Dele Alli – Soccer – UK
14. Lexi Thompson – Golf – USA
15. Connor McDavid – Ice hockey – Canada
16. Alex Morgan – Soccer – USA
17. Kei Nishikori – Tennis – Japan
18. Eden Hazard – Soccer – Belgium
19. Mike Trout – Baseball – USA
20. Harry Kane – Soccer – UK
21. Garbine Muguruza – Tennis – Spain
22. Bryce Harper Baseball USA
23. Andre de Grasse – Athletics – Canada
24 Pierre-Emerick Aubemayang – Soccer – Gabon
25. Lewis Hamilton – Motorsport – UK
26 Dustin Johnson – Golf – USA
27. Gabriel Jesus – Soccer – Brazil
28. Maverick Vinales – Motorcycling – Spain
29. Katie Ledecky – Swimming – USA
30. Kris Bryant – Baseball – USA
31. Milos Raonic – Tennis – Canada
32. Brooke Henderson – Golf – Canada
33. Christian Pulisic – Soccer – USA
34. Mallory Pugh – Soccer – USA
35. Rory McIlroy – Golf – Ireland
36. Russell Westbrook – Basketball – USA
37. Angela Lee – MMA – Singapore
38. Max Verstappen – Motorsport – Netherlands
39. Chloe Kim – Snowboarding – USA
40. Ben Stokes – Cricket – UK
41. Giannis Antetokoumpo – Basketball – Greece
42. John John Florence – Surfing – USA
43. Alexander Zverev – Tennis – Germany
44. Beauden Barrett – Rugby union – New Zealand
45. Peter Sagan – Cycling – Slovakia
46. Evgenia Medvedeva – Figure skating – Russia
47. Eugenie Bouchard – Tennis – Canada
48. Ma Long – Table Tennis – China
49. James Harden – Basketball – USA
50. Lindsey Vonn – Skiing – USA
