Lionel Messi’s visit to India, called “The GOAT Scenic tour”, is just the latest solo promotional excursion for a sports star in 2025. It didn’t go entirely to plan, with fans storming the pitch in Kolkata, but the number of attendees was proof that interest in sports stars remains sky-high.
Earlier this year, NBA stars LeBron James and Steph Curry were in China on solo tours, and James’ trip was with major sponsor Nike and called “The Forever King Scenic Tour.”
Brands in sports are not new. Fred Perry clothing was created by the British tennis player in the 1950s. Air Jordan entered the scene with basketball star Michael Jordan in 1984.
But in the modern age, boy athlete brands are much more common and many look to create one early in their careers. Beyond the desire to give back and inspire the next generation, the recent spate of solo tours is also an insight into the importance of branding in sports.
“It’s not completely new, but I think what’s new is that in the last decade, maybe a little bit more, the meaning of the athlete brand has really expanded,” Nataliya Bredikhina told DW. Bredikhina is an Assistant Professor of Sports Management at the University of Delaware, USA, specializing in individual branding in professional sports.
Virtual world tours
“The athlete is more than just a basic competitor or work on the field, but I feel like it wasn’t until the emergence of social media and technologies that the boundaries of what the athlete is really transcended,” Bredikhina said. He added that tours, shows and promotions for kid athletes are becoming more common.
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Perhaps it is not surprising that Messi and his team are at the forefront. They created the Messi Experience, an interactive multimedia exhibition that allows fans to follow the great footballer’s career even though the Argentine is not present. The show is currently on a world tour and has been to Los Angeles, Dubai and Sao Paulo.
While these ideas may make sense only to the truly great, Bredikhina believes they are a sign of things to come because of something called the “king’s two bodies” theory.
“In the past, it was developed to focus primarily on politicians, but I think in recent years this applies a lot to celebrities in general and athletes in particular, where we feel that there is a living character, a human being and then a brand that expands and becomes bigger than them,” Bredikhina said.
Transcending brands feel like the kind of marketing pitch that might leave more people bewildered than engaged. But there are enough examples in sports to prove that this theory is now a reality.
“Roger Federer, with all his companies growing, is a great example, but Leo Messi at this moment, being in a mature stage of his career, I think it is a great moment for something like this,” Bredikhina said.
He noted that investing early in this concept helps many athletes leave the sport.
The future of the sports brand
One of the most intriguing aspects of the rise of sports branding is what it says about fan engagement. At first glance, it seems obvious that organizations will connect to other people more easily than organizations. But stakes also need to belong to a group, so why does it seem like the focus on the individual is greater than tv?
Bredikhina believes the combination of increased social media consumption and a younger audience leaning more toward highlights than watching full games, whether on identity or ex, is part of the reason the culture is leaning more toward the individual. After all, there must also be a reason why Cristiano Ronaldo has more than 660 million followers on Instagram, while his current club and idea Madrid, a 15-time Champions League winner, has fewer followers on all of its social media channels.
“Maybe we are moving toward a more individualistic culture,” Bredikhina said. “Maybe it’s that disadvantage that everyone is an influencer in some way. No matter how many followers you have, you’re impacting someone; you’re broadcasting your life to someone. So maybe this is the mentality we’re starting to have, particularly among the younger generations.”
A trend for all levels.
This change is not only reflected in consumer habits but also in the constantly growing influencer market. America’s college athletes are considering how to market themselves from the start.
“I think if the goal is to impact the community, athletes at different levels can commit to that,” Bredikhina said. “Some athletes will only have thousands of followers on social media, so it’s nothing compared to those famous people they’re watching, but they can still build a brand, they can still monetize it even through smaller sponsorships.”
Perhaps this is best reflected in the impact of NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) agreements in college sports and how social media following is impacting team recruiting. Business is inescapable and the emotional strain for those managing their own accounts is complicated. But the goal is based on a psychological premise.
“Even at that level, brand building is not easy. What they say sometimes helps them overcome the evil of social media. It is that belief that is impacting digital. They are telling their story of improvement, they are teaching younger athletes what reality could be like if they get to college.”
Ultimately, the tours of Messi, James and Curry are reminders that the game is changing. Get ready for virtual reality and man-made intelligence assistants as the personalized fan experience reaches a whole new level. The athlete’s brand has never been stronger. As Bredikhina argued, “at this point the athlete is not just a sponsor, he is definitely a partner of those brands and someone who contributes a lot.”
Edited by: Matt Pearson
