In one area of the women's tennis world, Serena Williams is clearly No. 2
Atlantablackstar.com reported that the world's No. 1 tennis player lags far behind Maria Sharapova in endorsement earnings, as reported from results in 2014, despite the fact that Williams now has 20 Grand Slam championships to the Russian's five.
In fact, now-retired Li Na was No. 2 in endorsement earnings and Williams checked in at No. 3.
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Sharapova earned $22 million in endorsements last year, compared to Williams' $11 million, a fact that atlantablackstar.com found difficult to fathom.
"Let's break it down to try to figure this out: Serena is beautiful, with a glowing dark brown complexion and a beautiful smile. She's physically fit. She's smart and engaging and, some diva moments notwithstanding, is as likable as you can get. And she has 33 major titles, including the 13 doubles Grand Slam championships she earned with big sister Venus.
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"Serena would seem a corporation's ideal representative.
"... Surely, Serena Williams is not complaining- $11 million is quite a purse. But the disparity points to racial profiling and the warped definition of beauty that pushes companies to their decisions on representatives."
But almost in the same breath, atlantablackonline.com seems to contradict its own theory.
"When comparing the two players, it's hard to fathom that a bias based on race has not come into play. When Magic Johnson was the best player in the NBA, Larry Bird did not lead the league in endorsements.
"When Sugar Ray Leonard was boxing's best, Gerry Cooney did not get the biggest endorsements. When Tiger Woods, pre-divorce, was dominating golf, Phil Mickelson did not top the endorsements leaderboard."
Forbes reported earlier in the week that Williams' endorsement deals could rise from $2 million to $8 million more annually as she continues to have success. But it suggests a different reason for her endorsements not matching her on-court dominance.
"Because she is not a new phenomenon, and perhaps because some have not always seen her as the most gracious of competitors (recall the incident where she threatened the line judge in the 2009 semi-finals and lost the match due to a penalty point awarded as a result of the incident), I don't believe her annual endorsement earnings will double with Saturday's victory," Forbes reported.
Atlantablackonline.com, however, then adds "beauty" to race as factors impeding Williams' ability to earn.
It will be interesting to study Williams' marketability if she completes the Grand Slam this year.
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