nt play, she is paid to play -- win or lose (USA Today). Mark Phillips notes in Newsweek that individual sports athletes like tennis players build national recognition much more easily then team sports players (Phillips, 38).
Sport sponsorship provides a unique opportunity to target and reach a mass audience. Spectator sports are far more popular that sports requiring active participation if the increase in obesity in western countries including the United States is any indication of the level of interest physical activity. Corporate sponsorship can take many forms, and can be at a number of different levels depending on the amount of money a company can afford to spend. For example, a company can be a primary sponsor of an event, or one of many second or third tier sponsors. Some companies elect to sponsor teams of specific events, and other companies choose to spend their money seeking individual athletes to endorse their products.
Often, high visibility celebrity athletes earn many times what they earn as players or in prize money in endorsement fees. Some high profile individual athletes are even given the opportunity to develop personal brands of products such as the Tiger Woods line of golf clubs, and Greg Norman's line of clothing and accessories. An article in The Economist estimates that Tiger Woods is most likely to become sports sponsorship'
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