00:00Today on Forbes, love and money.
00:03Why the girlfriends of top tennis players
00:06are making millions.
00:08For many professional tennis players,
00:10the US Open represents the busiest few weeks
00:13on the calendar.
00:14Given the proximity to deep-pocketed American brands,
00:18it's a chance to schmooze current sponsors
00:20at events off the court,
00:21and attract new ones with stellar play
00:23in front of thousands of fans in New York,
00:26plus millions more on TV.
00:28But in a handful of cases,
00:30the players aren't even the busiest people
00:32in their own camp.
00:34Paige Lorenz, a social media creator and entrepreneur,
00:38who's been dating American star Tommy Paul since 2022,
00:42says, quote,
00:43I have probably as many brand deals as Tommy does
00:46during the US Open.
00:48The 26-year-old Lorenz
00:50says she expects to post on social media
00:52or appear at events for more than 15 sponsors
00:55over the next two weeks,
00:57as well as host a pop-up event
00:58for her own clothing brand, Dairy Boy.
01:02Lorenz is one of many tennis world influencers
01:05experiencing a breakthrough year
01:06as brands attempt to reach audiences
01:09that aren't traditional sports fans.
01:11Lorenz estimates that her followers,
01:13nearly 700,000 on Instagram,
01:16are around 80% female,
01:18and that only 10 to 15% are tennis fans.
01:22The trend holds across many sports,
01:24especially in the cases of professional athlete partners,
01:27including Kylie Kelsey, Ayesha Curry,
01:29and a handful of soccer and Formula One wives
01:32and girlfriends.
01:33But it's tennis that has the greatest appeal to marketers
01:36because of its year-long globetrotting schedule,
01:39its historic association with affluent consumers,
01:42and the tradition of including cutaways to the player's box
01:45as part of national TV broadcasts.
01:48Some of the most famous of these tennis-adjacent creators
01:51include Lorenz, Morgan Riddle, girlfriend of Taylor Fritz,
01:56the American star ranked number 12 in the world,
01:59and Ayaan Broomfield, dating Frances Tiafoe,
02:02ranked number 20.
02:04Forbes estimates that they will earn
02:05between $1 million and $3 million
02:08in brand endorsements this year.
02:11Ashley Villa, founder and CEO
02:13of talent management firm Rara Global,
02:16which focuses on female clients,
02:18says these lifestyle creators
02:20have helped turn the country club aesthetic
02:22she calls tennis core
02:24into a fashion trend over the past year,
02:26adopted by young women
02:27regardless of whether they actually play the sport.
02:30Content staples such as the Get Ready With Me
02:33and Weekend My Life videos
02:35can attract sponsorship from fashion and beauty companies
02:38as much as sports apparel and athleisure brands.
02:42Villa says, quote,
02:43There has been a huge uptick
02:45in this category of sports creators,
02:47and we also see that in the brand dollars
02:49behind what they're willing to spend
02:50and put behind their activations in these events.
02:55Compared with creators who don't carry the association
02:57with professional athletes,
02:58this new class of talent can command a premium fee.
03:02On Instagram, the most important platform in the space,
03:05deals range from $5,000 to $25,000 per post
03:09for most creators with similar-sized followings,
03:11according to Forbes estimates,
03:13while the range for creators in the sports world
03:16is $30,000 to $60,000 per post.
03:19Fees are slightly lower on TikTok,
03:22although a brand that wants to syndicate
03:23across both networks will pay a slightly higher total.
03:28That amount of money has attracted the attention
03:29of talent managers and agents
03:31who are steering clients toward a smaller portfolio
03:34of long-term partnerships
03:36rather than churning through one-off posts.
03:39In early 2023, Villa's company began working with Riddle,
03:42a 27-year-old creator who has been dating Fritz since 2020
03:46and has since signed her to long-term deals
03:49with brands including Grey Goose, Boss Women's Wear,
03:52Wilson, Bumble & Bumble, David Yerman Jewelry,
03:55and Ole Henriksen Skincare.
03:58Thanks to her work as an influencer,
03:59Lorenz signed with WME earlier this year
04:03and has secured partnerships with Target, Dove,
04:05St. James Iced Tea, and the beauty brand Wella.
04:09This category of deals, which in many cases last for one year
04:13and require regular tag posts and mentions in blogs,
04:17along with an expectation that products might be worn
04:19while in a player's box,
04:21can range from $200,000 to $500,000 each.
04:27For full coverage, check out Matt Craig's piece
04:29on Forbes.com.
04:32This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes.
04:34Thanks for tuning in.
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