Derek Jeter is ranked as MLB's most
marketable player, according to Nielsen
|
We’re just one week away from the start of MLB’s 2011 season, and with it, gauging value across the league is being published. Whether it was the Forbes valuations, or who sold the most jerseys last year, baseball is seeing some robust numbers.
Today, The Nielsen Company published data showing who is the most marketable players in MLB. According to to Nielsen and E-Poll’s N-Score system, two New York Yankees— Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera—are ranked as the two most marketable players in baseball, ranking. The N-Score measures name and image awareness, appeal and personality attributes such as sincerity, approachability, experience and influence, both at the national and local levels. The Top 10 Most Marketable Players in Baseball ranks the endorsement potential of MLB’s current players, with Texas Ranger Josh Hamilton, Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria and Yankee Alex Rodriquez also making the list. Minnesota’s Joe Mauer, 8th on the list nationally, hit it out of the park as the top-scoring local favorite.
As the rankings show, it’s not all about market size in determining marketability. While the top two, and three out of 10, hail from baseball’s biggest market and largest brand (New York Yankees), Evan Longoria (Rays and Tampa/St. Pete), Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle), and Albert Pujols (St. Louis), show that star power drives marketability over the market size.
As noted by Nielsen, advertisers are spending more than a billion dollars on endorsements each year so a player’s ability to be pitchmen for products is important, as well.
“Derek Jeter is on a tremendous run, with each new endorsement raising his profile with consumers. With a score more than three times his nearest competitor, it’s no wonder he’s been the face for Nike, Gatorade, Fleet Bank, Ford, VISA and more,” said Stephen Master, VP, Nielsen Sports [1]. “While many of the players may not have national visibility, locally their brands resonate at a very strong level, with some having local N-Scores almost 10 times that of their national one.”
For all of baseball, including current and former players, commentators and owners, a few all-time greats lead the pack. Yogi Berra holds the top spot, with an N-Score of 257, followed by Willie Mays (236) and Cal Ripken, Jr. (228). One noteworthy surprise? Joe Torre beat out his former players—Jeter and Rodriguez—with a score of 207, making him baseball’s fourth most marketable personality.
Methodology
How are the rankings derived? According to Nielsen, using the combined research expertise of Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research, N-Score is an in-depth look at a sports figure’s overall endorsement potential, factoring in the attributes and demographic measures that align brands with endorsers. N-Score Local provides this information for athletes within their team’s local market as well as nationwide. Players are defined as Hall of Fame (receiving an N-Score of 200+), Superstar (100 to 199), MVP (50 to 99), All Star (30 to 49) and Starter (less than 30).
SPECIAL BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK REPORTS:
The Labor Battle in the NFL. See BizOfFootball.com for details
 Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey, as well as a contributor to FanGraphs and Forbes SportsMoney. He is available for hire or freelance. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter 
Follow The Biz of Baseball on Twitter
 Follow the Business of Sports Network on Facebook
|
MLB News 
Subscribe to this comment's feed
