A star who isn't even a real star in his home country

Although a pipe dream for marketing professionals, the 28-year-old doesn't have the best cards in the fight for advertising dollars. Standing in the way is the niche existence of alpine skiing in the USA, which persistently misses young, urban target groups.

Shiffrin achieved 88 World Cup victories this season, setting a new record for all genders. However, the fact that she is rewriting the record books with vehemence is no guarantee that she will constantly be invited to US talk shows or that new sponsors will come knocking down her door. Apart from a handful of countries in Europe, skiing does not reach enough people. “It's not like a major team sport where you make ten million a year if you're halfway good,” said Tiger Shaw, the former president and CEO of the U.S. Ski Association.

Shiffrin does have advertising contracts with Barilla, Visa, Longines, Adidas and other companies. But that doesn't make her one of the top earners worldwide or in the USA. In the 2022 edition of the Forbes The woman from Colorado does not appear on the list of the 25 highest paid athletes. Another reason for this is of course the lower prize money in skiing, and Shiffrin had a good but not an outstanding season in 2022.

Gu puts Shiffrin to shame The ranking is led by tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams. In general, female tennis and golf players are overrepresented, while winter sports are virtually non-existent - with the exception of freestyle skiing queen Eileen Gu. The 19-year-old is already in third place and has what Shiffrin is missing. She has a multi-ethnic background and plays a sport that fascinates a young audience. Apart from that, the athlete competing for China is almost ten years younger and also accepts modeling jobs.

“Alpine skiing is competing in the Olympics with freestyle and snowboarding, which reach younger fan groups and represent a new, cool group of female athletes who are now vying for sponsorship deals,” said sports marketing expert Bob Dorfman of advertising agency Pinnacle Advertising.

However, the American public is increasingly turning away from Olympic winter sports. According to the television giant NBCUniversal With an average of 2022 million viewers in prime time, the 11,4 Games in Beijing achieved the lowest number of viewers since broadcasts of the Winter Olympics began in 1972. Compared to the 2018 Games in Sochi, there was a decrease of 42 percent.

Only a handful of races in the Ski World Cup are broadcast on television in the USA, usually only excerpts live. Otherwise, those interested will have to switch to more or less common paid streaming services such as Peacock. Not the best conditions for cultivating a fan base that goes beyond the typical ski clientele. Their representatives are predominantly white, have a higher education and a higher income than average and come from areas with regular snowfall. A wealthy segment of the population, but manageably large.

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

A star who isn't even a real star in his home country

There is no doubt that Mikaela Shiffrin will go down in history as one of the most phenomenal athletes of all time. In her home country, however, the ski racer only sporadically receives greater attention.

Suggestions

Comments (0)