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Highest-paid Players In Baseball

March 23, 2012 by · Comments Off on Highest-paid Players In Baseball 

Highest-paid Players In Baseball, Alex Rodriguez, the game’s biggest star, arrived on its biggest stage in 2004 through a trade from the Texas Rangers to the New York Yankees. Playing under the bright lights of the New York media and near Madison Avenue, A-Rod was expected to become a marketing superstar. He had already inked deals with the likes of PepsiCo, Kraft Foods and Colgate-Palmolive, but his endorsement portfolio was hardly robust.

With the Yankees, Rodriguez has won two MVP Awards, a World Series and slugged 284 home runs, but sponsorship deals continue to elude him. “Despite his noteworthy accomplishments on the field, he hasn’t succeeded in resonating off if it because he lacks a measure of authenticity sought by sponsors and, ultimately, consumers,” says David Carter, executive director of the USC Sports Business Institute. “This difficulty in connecting with fans and consumers has weighed heavily on his ability to secure major endorsements.”

A-Rod’s 2009 confession of using a “banned substance” likely ensures that sponsors will never fully embrace him. He has a lucrative deal with Nike and smaller ones with the likes of Rawlings, Topps and Vita Coca that earn him an estimated $2 million annually, including memorabilia income.

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