Series: THE ECONOMICS OF STRONGMAN: THE MONEY BEHIND STRENGTH - Episode 8: Building an Athlete's Commercial Brand

Competitive recognition may be achieved in one outstanding lift, while a credible athlete brand takes years to develop. Episode Eight of “THE ECONOMICS OF STRONGMAN: THE MONEY BEHIND STRENGTH” explores sports performance, personal identity, audience relationships, digital ownership and commercial opportunities, using peer-reviewed sport management research and clearly hypothetical economic examples [1–7]. A large following is not automatically a profitable business, and a small specialist audience may still be commercially relevant.

1. Athlete brand equity is more than a logo

Arai, Ko and Ross developed a conceptual athlete brand image model encompassing athletic performance, appearance and marketable lifestyle [1]. Arai, Ko and Kaplanidou subsequently tested and refined an athlete-brand image scale with 427 student respondents [2]. The studies offer useful conceptual categories, not an equation for strongman sponsorship fees.

A strongman athlete's public identity can include verified results, sportsmanship, technical insight, distinctive appearance, life story and community engagement. Competitive records need dates, categories, implements and applicable standards. Exaggerated claims may generate momentary attention but weaken credibility when scrutinised.

2. Authenticity and audience relationships

Authenticity can mean consistency between documented achievement, public statements and recommendations rather than unlimited exposure of private life. Research by Murtas and colleagues analysed 1,903 posts and 44,190 comments involving female footballers, identifying differences in how audiences respond to sporting and non-sporting content, including abusive behaviour [3]. These findings are not automatically generalisable to male strongman competitors.

A separate longitudinal study of German athletes identified conceptual athlete-brand roles including antagonist, supporter and manager [4]. Athletes need not all become full-time influencers. Trust is strengthened by factual communication, ethical commercial relationships and respectful engagement rather than by counting all followers as potential customers.

3. Credible positioning

An athlete might reasonably be known for overhead strength, deadlift technique, moving-event performance, coaching or specialist research communication. Positioning should correspond to actual results and demonstrable skills. Repeated unverifiable superlatives weaken the underlying brand.

Different audiences value different content. Specialist equipment buyers may prefer technical demonstrations, while festival organisers may value approachable public presentations. Career stage also matters: early-career progress, peak competition and later mentorship are distinct but potentially coherent brand chapters.

4. Owned digital infrastructure

Social networks provide discovery but expose athletes to changing algorithms and eligibility rules. An owned website can maintain a verified biography, results archive, educational articles, business contact details and explicit usage permissions. It is not automatically profitable and needs maintenance, legitimate image licences, clear navigation and privacy-conscious measurement.

Reach, visits, engaged readership and qualified commercial enquiries measure different behaviours. A technical page with few readers might generate meaningful business contacts; a viral clip may attract little buyer interest. Evaluation should follow the chosen purpose rather than turn every platform number into a promise of income.

5. A portfolio of complementary content

Competition footage demonstrates performance, training videos reveal process, educational material explains technique, and community projects show relationships beyond medals. Short clips may attract new viewers while long-form analysis can serve a smaller but committed audience. No content format is universally better. Its value depends on purpose, production cost and relevance.

Athlete collaboration with coaches, judges and other competitors can create useful education, provided rights and commercial relationships are clear. Editorial calendars should respect training and recovery rather than demanding constant filming at the expense of health.

6. Fame versus commercial relevance

Follower counts, reach, views, unique users and qualified customers are different measurements. A specialist equipment supplier might prefer 20,000 relevant strength-sport followers to a much larger general entertainment audience, while a local festival might prioritise nearby families. Exact effectiveness cannot be inferred from follower numbers alone.

Controversial posts may generate many comments without building trust. Murtas and colleagues' work illustrates why the content of reactions matters [3]. Language, translations and changing audience composition also influence commercial relevance.

7. Pricing deliverables and licensing rights

Athlete services can include event appearances, seminars, video production, consulting within competence, sponsored content and image licensing. Fees should account for production expenditure, travel, working time, exclusivity, territory and duration. One appearance does not automatically grant ten years of unrestricted advertising rights.

A hypothetical €1,800 agreement with €600 external costs leaves €1,200 before tax and the athlete's labour. At 24 hours, this corresponds to €50 direct contribution per hour, without pricing the intellectual-property rights separately. Promises of guaranteed sales or fixed platform reach should not be made where the athlete cannot control these outcomes.

8. Multiple income streams beyond prize money

Courses, appropriate coaching, publishing, image licensing and merchandising can diversify earnings but create new responsibilities. Suppose a €2,000 course costs €10 per buyer to fulfil and sells for €40: 67 sales are required to cover the initial cost before taxes and further obligations. Free-video views do not guarantee any of these purchases.

Coaching requires professional competence and respect for medical boundaries. Physical merchandise brings stock, transport, sizing and refund risks. Athlete entrepreneurship must therefore be managed as a business, not portrayed as a consequence automatically flowing from fame.

9. Sponsorship concentration and commercial autonomy

A sponsor financing most of an athlete's travel can provide valuable stability but also create dependency. Contract termination, delayed payment or broad exclusivity can undermine future choices. In-kind support should be valued according to genuinely avoided expenditure rather than catalogue prices.

Commercial rights need defined categories, territories and durations. Brand-event fit may influence consumer attitudes but cannot establish guaranteed strongman sales outcomes. Ethical partnerships should remain compatible with the athlete's public credibility.

10. Advertising disclosure and ethics

The European Commission's Influencer Legal Hub explains the EU consumer-law responsibilities that may apply to content creators promoting goods and services, including paid posts, product gifts and affiliate arrangements [6]. Meta's branded-content policies likewise identify exchanges of value that call for paid-partnership labelling [7].

Disclosure is only one part of compliance. Health, supplement and performance claims require proper substantiation. Athlete experience cannot replace scientific proof, and sponsors should not control the conclusions of independent educational work.

11. Verified performance and reputational resilience

Strongman records vary by implements, distances, judging and federation or event standards. Claims should identify dates, competition classes and technical conditions. Accurate results are an asset that withstands verification better than unsupported global superlatives.

Reputation can be affected by payment disputes, false advertisements, unlicensed images or public comments. Effective responses establish facts and correct material errors. Careers also include seasons without podiums, when expertise, mentoring and responsible communication can sustain commercial relevance.

12. Time as a scarce resource

Commercial appearances, filming and seminars compete with training, work and recovery. A €500 online session requiring five hours may be more valuable than a €850 regional appearance consuming two days and uncovered travel, depending on individual circumstances.

Brand-building should not force daily filming that compromises technique or sleep. Seasonal reviews can compare cash received, production expenses, working hours and meaningful outcomes while respecting the athlete's non-commercial personal life.

13. Worked example: internationally active Romanian athlete

Imagine an athlete with verified regional results, a personal website and consistent technical content. Hypothetical annual commercial revenue includes €3,600 equipment partnership, €2,000 seminars and appearances, €1,200 editorial work and €800 other services, totalling €7,600. Direct travel, production, consumables and administration of €2,600 leave €5,000 before taxes, personal labour and overhead.

The cash-flow timing, rights granted and dependency on any one partner matter as much as the nominal total. An equipment sponsor and a local hotel need different packages. A credible offer documents actual deliverables and audience relevance, not invented achievements or guaranteed conversions.

14. Measuring brand performance

Awareness, engagement, enquiries and paid contracts belong to different stages. Suppose 200,000 video views and 25,000 website visitors produce 30 enquiries, of which 10 become signed contracts. The enquiry-to-contract ratio is approximately 33.3%, not a conversion rate of all views.

Attribution may be complicated by competitions, press coverage and existing relationships. Qualitative feedback can help if sample sizes and limitations are disclosed. Testimonials and metrics must not be fabricated.

15. Building an athlete media kit

A useful media kit provides verifiable competition results, expertise, dated audience data, sample content, services, costs and contact information. Hospitality, equipment and public-event partners require different deliverables. Athlete-owned photography and event footage should not be offered for unrestricted commercial use without checking rights.

A professional kit avoids promises of podium outcomes, unverified reach or unsupported health claims. Multilingual versions should preserve official event titles, categories and factual accuracy.

16. Brand resilience beyond competitive records

Athletic results fluctuate through injury, age, recovery and changing priorities. A resilient public identity can also reflect coaching within competence, technical education, mentoring or event expertise. Research on athlete brand image recognises dimensions beyond performance alone [1,2], but does not promise income from those activities.

Transition planning requires real qualifications and careful business development. A former champion is not automatically an expert in medical treatment, engineering or finance. Reputation can open doors but cannot replace service quality.

17. Image, copyright and trade mark rights

Personal image rights, copyright in photographs and trade mark protection for a commercial sign are legally different. The European Commission's Influencer Legal Hub addresses intellectual property responsibilities as well as advertising [6]. Paying for a photo session does not always convey unrestricted worldwide exploitation rights.

Original courses and articles can become valuable assets, but scientific citation alone does not necessarily permit copying others' photographs or figures. Licensing discipline protects both athletes and their commercial partners.

18. Privacy and reputation governance

A public-facing brand does not require publishing family, medical or precise location information. Research on online reactions to athletes supports taking abuse and privacy seriously [3]. Moderation should distinguish legitimate criticism from threats and personal attacks.

Collecting newsletter addresses and commercial enquiries requires appropriate data-protection grounds and safeguards. The EDPB explains the need for a lawful basis before processing personal information [9]. Sponsor support does not automatically confer the right to access personal contact lists.

19. Research still needed

The reviewed sport-management studies do not establish a representative salary or sponsorship average for strongman athletes. Evidence from football or student populations should not be presented as direct measurements of Romanian strongman markets.

Future anonymised research could measure commercial income streams, content-production costs, repeated partnerships, rights licensing and the experience of athletes who do not secure sponsors. Longitudinal designs are needed to assess whether educational content and reliable results archives actually improve commercial outcomes.

20. Seasonal commercial development plan

A viable seasonal plan begins with verified results, usable media rights, actual audience data and services the athlete can deliver without harming training. Partnership targets are managerial objectives, not guaranteed revenue forecasts. Prospective brands should receive tailored deliverables, precise rights and a feasible cost and cash-flow schedule.

During the season, educational impact and commercial outcomes should be tracked separately. A small audience does not automatically imply a financial loss, and a viral post does not prove incremental sales. Year-end review should compare negotiated versus paid contracts, estimated versus actual costs and time allocated to commercial work.

The athlete should retain the freedom to protect privacy, recover properly and decline unsuitable products. Brand development is sustainable when it finances sporting ambition instead of consuming it.

A platform algorithm does not define an athlete's professional worth. Verified results, owned educational archives and direct commercial relationships can make an athlete less vulnerable to sudden changes in distribution. Platform diversification is useful when each channel has a genuine purpose rather than creating unsustainable posting obligations.

Sponsors also evaluate whether promised work is delivered. Reliability and truthful reporting can strengthen a smaller athlete brand, whereas oversized exclusivity and unsupported claims may destroy value. A seasonal review should include rights surrendered, recovery protected and commercial risks as well as money received.

Conclusion

Commercial athlete branding combines verified performance, coherent identity, audience relationships and properly licensed services. The research identifies useful dimensions of athlete image but does not yield universal income predictions for strongman [1–5]. Sound practice requires honest results, lawful advertising disclosure, data protection, contract clarity and deliberate control over time.

Bibliography

[1] Arai, Ko & Ross (2014), Branding Athletes, DOI 10.1016/j.smr.2013.04.003: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1441352313000296 .
[2] Arai, Ko & Kaplanidou (2013), Athlete Brand Image: Scale Development, DOI 10.1080/16184742.2013.811609: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16184742.2013.811609 .
[3] Murtas et al. (2025), Audience Perceptions of Athletes’ Brand Self-Presentation, DOI 10.1080/16184742.2024.2424299: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16184742.2024.2424299 .
[4] European Sport Management Quarterly (2024), Athlete Brand Typology, DOI 10.1080/16184742.2024.2422336: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/16184742.2024.2422336 .
[5] Ciegelski, Rudeloff & Horky (2024), Human Brands in Sport on Instagram, DOI 10.1504/IJSMM.2024.138981: https://www.inderscience.com/info/e_inarticle.php?artid=138981 .
[6] European Commission, Influencer Legal Hub: https://commission.europa.eu/topics/consumers/consumer-rights-and-complaints/influencer-legal-hub_en .
[7] Meta, Instagram Branded Content Policy: https://www.facebook.com/help/instagram/616901995832907?locale=en_GB .
[8] Romanian Civil Code, Articles 73–75: https://legislatie.just.ro/Public/DetaliiDocument/210104 .
[9] EDPB, GDPR Legal Basis: https://www.edpb.europa.eu/topics/key-gdpr-concepts/legal-basis_en .
[10] YouTube Partner Earnings: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72902?hl=en .