Verified. She hasn't ruled out trying to do both collegiate and elite gymnastics at the same time. Sunisa Lee of Team United States competes on balance beam during the Women's All-Around Final on day six of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on . "This is actually a potential success story because she doesn't need to leave college in order to continue to have a presence on the national stage and reap the rewards of that from a financial standpoint," Benders says. Sportico is a part of Penske Media Corporation. In the past, the only option brands had to associate with college-bound Olympic gymnasts was to sponsor entire college athletic departmentsa move that often did not align strategically, Thompson suggests. Its all great for her right now.. Its not just the medal that makes her marketable, though, but the pedestal on which fans have long put top U.S. gymnastsfrom Mary Lou Retton to Nastia Liukin to Gabby Douglas to Biles. But above and beyond all that, its just a good story. product endorsements, or corporate entertainment. According to reports, the DWTS contestants earn $125,000 in rehearsal and the first two weeks while the maximum they can earn is $295,000. We are very committed to growing this baseball division to be the best division in baseball, Matthes said. Jeff Graba, Lee's future coach at Auburn, made sure to highlight in his remarks after Lee won the all-around that historically gymnasts who win this title would have to turn pro because they wouldn't be able to make money going to college. We had begun conversations during the Olympics, St. George told Sports Business Journal. Oh My! YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Lee's longtime coach Jess Graba and Auburn coach Jeff Graba are twin brothers. Credit: AP Sunisa Lee, of United States, poses for a picture. Additionally, she has the capability to partner with brands for paid social media posts considering her whopping 500,000 followers. Though the amount is unclear, it appears those wins each come with prize money. If NIL rules hadnt changed, she would not be able to do any of the things we are talking about. Olympic Gold Medalist @auburngymnastics teamsuni@smithsaint.com. She could be the face of the Paris games if she sticks around. Its worth noting that had the Tokyo Games happened last summer as planned, that wouldnt have been the case. University of Central Florida sprinter Samieryah Bradwell signed a $10,000 deal with Sam's Club last month. Jeff Graba doesn't see why Lee can't go to school while enjoying the trappings that come with being a multiple-medal winner in one of the Olympics marquee sports. She started competing when turned six at the Midwest Gymnastics Center in Little Canada, Minnesota. 1 gymnast in the world. Theres almost always someone who emerges as the fresh new face of the Olympic Games, and it is almost always a female, Burton said. Rick Burton, Syracuse University professor and former chief marketing officer of the USOPC, also puts Lees immediate earnings in the million dollar range. Daily updates aggregating the stories and spin from more than 600 outlets across the globe. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. Just ask Simone Biles, who, after her win in 2016, immediately struck deals with Kellogg's, Hershey's, Nike, and Visa. Even without additional gold medals in Tokyo, though, Dorfman believes Lees endorsement potential could rival what Biles made in the wake of the 2016 Olympics based solely off her performance in the all-around and the nature of the sport, with the athletes not hidden behind masks or headgear, making them more recognizable to consumers. You may opt-out by. The NCAAs changing of NIL rules to allow student athletes to have an agent really affected Lee in a positive way. Front of the Home Crowd Leaves Fans Bewitched, Tokyo Olympic Gold Medalist Suni Lee Achieves a Novel Feat in College Gymnastics, It Meant Everything: Simone Biles Teammate Opens Up On Replacing Her During Thompson said he could see Lee following in Biles footsteps, signing with a brand like Gap-owned Athleta or Canadian athleisure company Lululemon. As everyone predicted, Sunisa Lee has become a big name in the endorsement deals in college sports. His timing could not be better, as fans were seeking a new star in the post-Phelps era, Delpy Neirotti says. Tags: Recent News Editorial Box. That number. She took home one gold and three silver medals at the junior-level competition. After Simone Biles won most of the events, she claimed first place in the uneven bars event. Really ready. The performer also has the ability to broker major endorsement deals as a result of her historic wins. The Auburn University incoming freshman won gold, silver and bronze medals at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. The previous four Carly Patterson, Nastia Liukin, Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles were teenagers at the time of their triumphs. (Its) probably bigger; bigger than that quarterback (Alabamas Bryce Young) who hasnt started a game and Im sure Nick Saban was kind of goosing that number just to get recruits, Dorfman said. Christina Aguileras Best Swimsuit Pictures, Scheana Shay: Why Husband Brock Took a Step Back From 'Pump Rules', VPRs Scheana Never Meant to Hurt Katie With Raquel, Tom Hookup, VPR's Raquel Leviss Reflects on Posting 'Polarizing' Tom Schwartz Photo, Why Love Is Blind's Deepti Is 'Not Ready' for a 'Serious Relationship', Summer House's Paige Explains Why Long Distance Works For Her and Craig, Summer Houses Carl, Lindsay Are Ready for Marriage, Babies, Jodie Woods Skipped Awkward Phase, Sister Jordyn Reveals, Jordyn Woods on Growing Up in the Public Eye: Believe in Yourself, Jordyn Woods Has Inseparable Bond With Boyfriend Karl-Anthony Towns. She's a favorite to add another medal to her gold in the all-around and team silver during the uneven bars final on Sunday. . Sunisa Lee of Team United States poses with her gold medal after winning the Women's All-Around Final on day six of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on July 29, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Her graceful movements and incredible leaps were a sight to behold. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee puts a $37,500 sticker on a gold medal, which Lee will take home alongside $22,500 for the silver she helped Team USA earn in the team event and any other prize money she may earn for making the podium in the individual events. We know its not going to happen overnight, that we are going to grow this organically. Matthes co-leads the division with WME agent and partner Jon Rosen, who became certified by the MLB Players Association in 2019 to represent Correa, who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Before her arrival to Auburn for the 2022 season, she was a seven-time U.S. National Team member. The US international is an Olympic gold medalist and one of the best gymnasts in the world. * Please fill out the form below in order to receive your shareable link. On3 NIL, which tracks college athletes' NIL deals, estimates Lee's market value of $1.5 million. This Olympic and Paralympic cycle also provided both athletes and brands with new marketing opportunities. Thats the premier event; you win that, youre the best gymnast in the world, Dorfman said. Sunisa Lee poses with her gold medal after winning the women's gymnastics all-around title at the Summer Olympics at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on Thursday in Tokyo. She's getting a bit of a crash course on the finer points of the rules surrounding NLI. In the list dominated by football players, Sunisa ranks tenth, with a market valuation of $1.5 million. I just didnt want to see myself fall back, she told Elle at the time. She attended Auburn University on a gymnastics scholarship and has been a regular there. Pressure of Being the Olympic Gold Medalist, How Is She Real: Olympic Champ Suni Lees Unbelievably Flawless Performance in Suni opened up in May about how difficult it was to wait for the Olympics when it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The St. Paul, Minn., native has committed to attend Auburn University. She plans to compete at Auburn in the meantime, which also adds to her earning potential with the emerging name, image and likeness market at the college level. Everyone had been expecting Simone to win, and [Lee] stepped up. Collins co-represents Allen with Jim Denton and Tom Condon. Its the most popular event. Its worth noting that had the Tokyo Games happened last summer as planned, that wouldnt have been the case. Before she took home those accolades, Suni won big at the 2017 Pacific Rim Championships in Medelln, Colombia. Hence, with all that in place, she could be making $100,000 in a jiffy. As of Thursday afternoon, Lee has surpassed 706,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 73,000 on Twitter numbers that will surely continue to grow. Its yeah, this is huge Its the biggest event of the Olympics. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. Nude Selfies! If she does still opt to go to Auburn, INFLCR CEO Jim Cavale said the star will arrive with a massive head start in terms of social media endorsement deal opportunities in the NIL era. Back after returning from Tokyo, she partnered with the Pearson+ app to boost her earnings. Not only did she fill up SEC gyms, she also signed endorsement deals with Amazon, Gatorade, Target, Invisalign and CLIF Bar. Team USA gymnast Sunisa Lee took home the gold medal in the womens all-around on Thursday, a victory that some marketers say could come with a seven-figure financial windfall for the 18-year-old star, who just shot her marketability into the stratosphere. But her impending haul off the mat is actually worth much more. Her favorite dish is Pasta while she loves the Finding Nemo movie. The list also includes Shareef's younger brother Shaqir, who plays basketball for Texas Southern University; as well as Spencer Rattler, quarterback for the University of Oklahoma; wrestler Gable Steveson of the University of Minnesota; and Scotty Pippen Jr., son of the former Chicago Bulls player, currently a Vanderbilt University combo guard. According to the Auburn Tigers site, Suni has a management team in place to help her balance her endorsement deals and personal appearances with her commitments as a college athlete - although. "It's just a different environment," Lee said. Her father Yeev Thoj is a healthcare worker while her mother immigrated to the United States of America. Many brands, including Olympic sponsors have reached out, St. George said. That is really a testament to Josh and how hard hes worked to establish himself as an MVP-caliber player at such an early stage in his career and with two years left on his rookie contract.. Her incredible showing during the championship event has made her an American hero and fans are curious how much money the Minnesota native makes from her gymnastics career. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Thats something that Auburn is prepared for. Now that the Hmong starlet has won two medals one gold for all-around and one silver with the rest of Team USA that prize money will also factor into her net worth. The ones coming this fall are out of the question. SPACs: What a Special Purpose Acquisition Company Means for Sports. All these deals play out differently, but probably the biggest difference for this one is the record amount the team was willing to guarantee at signing and throughout the deal, Collins said. With Lee still being a teenager, Dorfman could see sponsorships targeting younger demographics, like snack foods, pizza or fast-food restaurants. And shell do so as one of the most marketable college athletes in the country. After her successful events in Tokyo, she took part in the famous Dancing With The Stars competition. In the wake of her four-gold-medal performance at the Olympic Games in Rio, Biles built a robust sponsorship portfolio. In advance of the Tokyo Games, the IOC introduced a relaxed version of Rule 40, a provision that protects the Games exclusivity and intellectual property for official Olympic sponsors by limiting other non-sponsor brands from getting involved. "I do want to go to college and have fun and kind of get away from this elite atmosphere just because it's so, like, crazy," Lee said. Lee could become the first true litmus test for athletes in traditionally nonrevenue college sports. Its not just the medal that makes her marketable, though, but the pedestal on which fans have long put top U.S. gymnastsfrom Mary Lou Retton to Nastia Liukin to Gabby Douglas to Biles. Because if the Games were held last year, Lees earnings potential would have been hurt by the old, stricter rules. Lee signing with a large school like Auburn also gives her another four years of earning potential ahead of her with boundless opportunities to pitch products, make appearances, sign autographs or participate in one of the latest trends by commissioning NFTs of her gold-medal performance. Then, with Biles the 2016 Olympic all-around champion scratched from this years all-around final, all eyes were on Lee, who represented Team USAs best chance to maintain its grip on the sports marquee event and bring a fifth straight all-around gold medal back stateside. Sunisa Lee juggles stardom with college life Churchill Downs has been home to some of the most incredible moments in sports history. Burton throws Visa in the ring as well, noting that with only a three-year turnaround to the Paris Games in 2024, where Lee could again compete, shes an even more attractive partner for Olympic sponsors. The. Access to easy-to-read digital editions of weekly issues. That shes only 18 also means shell be 21 when the next Summer Olympics come around in 2024, leaving the possibility for her to defend her gold in Paris. Brands that want to work with Lee in the immediate aftermath of Tokyo will pay a premium due to her demand, which means cash in her pocket and continued visibility that Burton said creates a sustainable revenue stream for Lees future. The slot was $4.547 million, and House ended up signing for $5 million. The fact that Simone Biles pulled out kind of put more laser-focused attention on it. Contact All American Speakers Bureau to book the best keynote speaker for your next live or virtual event. If she does still opt to go to Auburn, INFLCR CEO Jim Cavale said the star will arrive with a massive head start in terms of social media endorsement deal opportunities in the NIL era. U.S. gymnast Suni Lee captured gold in the all-around. After her successful career, she competed at the 2018 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships and won the gold medal in the team final competition while also claiming the silver medal for vault, balance beam, and floor exercise. Pippen Jr. already has an endorsement deal with chicken fingers restaurant chain Raising Cane's. She helped lead Team USA to a silver medal in the team final earlier this week, stepping up after Biles withdrew following the first rotation due to a medical issue. Other more traditional Olympics sponsors, like Procter and Gamble or the Coca-Cola Company and their family of brands (Coke now owns Core Power through its acquisition of the protein shakes owner, Fairlife LLC), could also be in Lees future. Thompson echoed many of the same sentiments, adding that perhaps joining Biles on her sponsor-supported, post-Tokyo Gold Over America Tour could put Lee to an even stronger earning position. "There's a pro league for gymnastics, it's just endorsements," Jeff Graba said. Legal Statement. She is the favorite to win gold on bars, which is her best event, and she is expected to vie for a medal on beam as well, with Graba saying she is fully capable of gold.. ICE Limitations. Burton also noted that as an Asian American athlete, Lee also embodies diversitya valuable attribute to marketers today. Not bad for someone whose slow recovery from a broken foot left her wanting to bail on trying to make it to Tokyo. The superstar gymnast now earns several million dollars a year off the mat from sponsors, including Athleta (after several years as a Nike athlete), Visa, United Airlines, Oreo and Core Power protein shakes. Whatever comes along, however, she expects to compete for the Tigers next season. Right before she won gold on uneven bars at the 2019 U.S. championships, her father fell off a ladder and became paralyzed from the chest down. Lees team is seeking deals with brands that are authentic to Lee as a person. Lee, who signed with Auburn back in March, is expected to enroll in classes this fall. Lee will participate in the uneven bars final Sunday, followed by the balance beam final Tuesday. She will also rake in appearance and speaking fees for years to come, as she emerges as the Olympic movements next It Girl, a title he says American gymnasts have taken on after successful Summer Games since Retton won gold at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. All Rights Reserved. I dont want to disappoint my coaches or my parents. However, it seems she did just the opposite and came out of quarantine stronger than ever. Well, it might be. Suni Lee is not turning pro. Lets talk seven figures, said Bob Dorfman, the creative director at Baker Street Advertising and a sports marketing expert. Nurse License Verification service enables nurses to verify their license(s) from a Nursys verification participating board when applying for endorsement into another state. Sunisa Suni Lee, often known as Suni Lee, is an artistic gymnast from the US. Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering business, consumer and financial stories that range from economic inequality and housing issues to bankruptcies and the business of sports. Of course, Lee could still turn pro, but going to college might be in her best interests long-term, suggests Damian Benders, general manager of B Code, a digital media company connecting with Black audiences across digital platforms. 2023 Leaders Group. From all her earnings, medal victories, and salary, Suni Lee has an estimated net worth of $3 million. Click below to sign in. Her sister Lees married name is Smith. Lee instantly became one of the stars of these Summer Games. Gymnasts had to choose between accepting endorsements or college scholarships. Her name will get bigger, and with it will come an untold number of opportunities to cash in on her Olympic glory. The agency also completed its first draft, which included former No. Recent changes to name, image and likeness rules now allow Division I NCAA athletes to monetize their marketability. 7 pick in the 2018 NFL draft, an average of $43 million a year. For now, S&S is focused on national deals, but local partnerships from her home state of Minnesota and her new college in Alabama are possible, St. George said. Lee says while she knows she'll have some endorsement opportunities ahead for her, she . 1 high school prospect, shortstop, Matthes co-leads the division with WME agent and partner, We are very committed to growing this baseball division to be the best division in baseball, Matthes said. Her phone practically melted from her notifications on social media from random well-wishers to actress Reese Witherspoon. With her masterful gold medal performance amid a whirlwind of attention and emotion caused by Simone Biles withdrawal, Lee now moves into the role of Americas newest face of the Games. Fill out a booking request form for Sunisa " Suni" Lee, or give us a call at 866-218-5263 to discuss your event. Team USA gymnast Sunisa Lee took home the gold medal in the women's all-around on Thursday, a victory that some marketers say could come with a seven-figure financial windfall for the 18-year-old. Those days are over thanks to recently passed legislation that allows collegiate athletes to make money off their name, image and likeness. Gold medallist Sunisa Lee of the United States poses on the podium after winning the Women's Individual All-Around, July 29, 2021, in Tokyo. A life to begin. After all, they always expected her to win some medals in Tokyo and believed she had the potential to compete for the all-around gold. Are you a print subscriber? Thats not limited to endorsement deals, though hes sure whoever ends up representing Lee will capitalize on those. Brands that want to work with Lee in the immediate aftermath of Tokyo will pay a premium due to her demand, which means cash in her pocket and continued visibility that Burton said creates a sustainable revenue stream for Lees future. F1 and IndyCar start their seasons, the Rams partner with KAGR and Athletes Unlimited celebrates its anniversary with an expanded Nike partnership. With her masterful gold medal performance amid a whirlwind of attention and emotion caused by Simone Biles withdrawal, Lee now moves into the role of Americas newest face of the Games.