In our civilization we love an athlete, right? Ancient civilizations worshiped warriors and we, in our more refined age, worship our virtual warriors. It means that these heroes of ours acquire a raised status in our minds and a raised value in our economies. We have some unbelievably valuable sport stars now. Don’t believe it? Well, check this out….
Nick Foles
Did you know that Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles QB, is the top ranking player in merchandise sales for the NFL? It’s his name that everyone wants to sport on their backs. Why? Because he won the Superbowl, he commanded the campaign, he got the victory. Of course he didn’t do it alone, far from it, but as the quarterback, we look at him and associate him with the win. He’s out there and visible on the field, during the combat. We don’t think of the support team behind the scenes, we just see a 6ft 6, 243 lb commanding presence and we think… wow!
Lewis Hamilton
Admittedly, the warfare analogy isn’t always quite so obvious. Look at Lewis Hamilton, the British F1 racing driver. Believe it or not, the 33-year-old is worth an immense $46 million. And what does he do? He just drives around a track. But that’s missing the point. Hamilton is another hero because he risks his life for victory. He travels at neck-breaking speeds (almost literally – a modern F1 car can accelerate to 62 mph in less than two seconds) to secure the win, and that’s something we all admire and wish we could do too, if only we had the gumption.
Roger Federer
And what about Roger Federer? The man is an absolute warrior! With that flowing hair and bandana he looks more Rambo than a Swiss chap playing a spot of lawn tennis. At 37 he is still going strong and the list of his achievements is so long that by the time you’ve got to the end you’ve forgotten how it started. With all the prize money he banks and the various packages of sponsorship, advertising and you name it, Federer is currently worth an unbelievable $64 million.
Cristiano Ronaldo
So who is the king of kings? Who is the boss of all bosses? Well right now, soccer extraordinaire Cristiano Ronaldo takes the top spot with his current value of… $93 million! Born in Portugal, the youngest child of a cook and a municipal gardener, Cristiano Ronaldo has certainly come a long way. Worshiped the world over and now residing in a personal palace with his wife and children, it is all through sporting prowess that Ronaldo made his name and gained his fame. It’s crazy to think that all this came simply from kicking a ball into a net. But it’s what this forward represents that matters to us all: force, grace, courage, willpower and tactical intelligence. What Ronaldo has is the traits of a victor and as we all know “to the victor go the spoils”.
