The National Basketball Association (NBA) has been ranked above the National Football League (NFL), Formula One and a host of Premier League clubs as the most powerful brand in sport.
The preeminent North American basketball league tops the POWA index global top 20, which is described as the world’s first real-time sponsorship evaluation engine and charts the commercial impact of sponsorship rights holders.
The POWA index has ranked the NBA’s supremacy according to trillions of data points across social media, online searches and on-field performances. The table is constantly updating in accordance with real-time trends, with Spanish soccer giants falling off top spot following the departure of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo. The NBA's surge, meanwhile, comes ahead of the new season, which gets underway next week.
Despite the NBA topping the list, none of its teams appear in the top 20, with the New England Patriots being the only US franchise that features.
Along with the NBA, several other major sports leagues feature on the list including the NFL, the Premier League, La Liga, Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Fifa World Cup and Uefa Champions League are also in the top 20, along with the Formula One motorsport series.
The remaining spots are filled by European soccer clubs, with La Liga’s Real Madrid and Barcelona both featuring in the top five, while Manchester United are the highest ranked Premier League side, followed by Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City.
Italian champions Juventus, Ligue 1 title-holders Paris Saint-Germain and German giants Bayern Munich complete the rest of the list.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has been ranked above the National Football League (NFL), Formula One and a host of Premier League clubs as the most powerful brand in sport.
The preeminent North American basketball league tops the POWA index global top 20, which is described as the world’s first real-time sponsorship evaluation engine and charts the commercial impact of sponsorship rights holders.
The POWA index has ranked the NBA’s supremacy according to trillions of data points across social media, online searches and on-field performances. The table is constantly updating in accordance with real-time trends, with Spanish soccer giants falling off top spot following the departure of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo. The NBA's surge, meanwhile, comes ahead of the new season, which gets underway next week.
Despite the NBA topping the list, none of its teams appear in the top 20, with the New England Patriots being the only US franchise that features.
Along with the NBA, several other major sports leagues feature on the list including the NFL, the Premier League, La Liga, Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Fifa World Cup and Uefa Champions League are also in the top 20, along with the Formula One motorsport series.
The remaining spots are filled by European soccer clubs, with La Liga’s Real Madrid and Barcelona both featuring in the top five, while Manchester United are the highest ranked Premier League side, followed by Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City.
Italian champions Juventus, Ligue 1 title-holders Paris Saint-Germain and German giants Bayern Munich complete the rest of the list.
Getty Images
