Dhoni signs $ 42 million deal !

[SciD]

Dhoni sells soul should be the title.

He had one?

Everyone has a soul, even Indians and gingers

Don't think about starting a meaningless debate.

 

[shravi]

Ha, I'd like to see you turning this sort of money down if you were a professional sportsman, Mark. Anybody and everybody would take it.

 

[sohum]

I think Mark would have to say that all professional athletes that make money from endorsements have sold their souls.

 

[SaiSrini]

Better for him to get some bucks. Though IMO, he is the most overrated cricketer.

Dhoni is one of the most valuable cricketers for India in recent times. His keeping has kept improving all the time (he is now a very reliable keeper, though not India's best which would still be Kirmani). His batting has been excellent in ODI's, good enough in T20's though he needs to get back to his old days of smashing it off, he hasnt batted as much in tests. And his captaincy has been bordering from the good to excellent. If you say he is over rated because of all the attention he gets, then even Sachin Tendulkar is over rated. People in India call him God and what not?

We in India always tend to over react to stars.

 

[AkshayS]

Dhoni is one of the most valuable cricketers for India in recent times. His keeping has kept improving all the time (he is now a very reliable keeper, though not India's best which would still be Kirmani). His batting has been excellent in ODI's, good enough in T20's though he needs to get back to his old days of smashing it off, he hasnt batted as much in tests. And his captaincy has been bordering from the good to excellent. If you say he is over rated because of all the attention he gets, then even Sachin Tendulkar is over rated. People in India call him God and what not?

We in India always tend to over react to stars.

your point of view, I disagree. nothing more to say.

 

[AngryPixel]

Everyone has a soul, even Indians and gingers

Way to go mark... A mod setting example :sarcasm

 

[pcfan123]

I think Mark would have to say that all professional athletes that make money from endorsements have sold their souls.

This

Way to go mark... A mod setting example :sarcasm

Not a mod, thus the liberty of my sharp tongue

 

[AngryPixel]

My bad still you should be careful.

 

[pcfan123]

Careful of what? People without a sense of humor? No thanks

 

[angryangy]

Professional sports players in the US make more than that from their salary, forget endorsements. For example, I believe it was Joe Johnson who recently signed a 6-year, $120 million contract with the Hawks. That's before any endorsements--that's just salary.

Beckham similarly has an incredible contract with LA totalling $250m over five years. However, if we're looking at the rate of income, 120m over six years is still less than 42m over two years, so Dhoni has definitely moved into a competitive tax bracket. I think the amazing thing is that he's not being paid to endorse Rhiti Sports, he's being paid just to be managed by Rhiti Sports. He already endorses 20 odd brands, including what must be lucrative contracts with Reebok and Pepsi. He might only make a couple of million a year from the game of cricket itself, but his advertising value is staggering.

 

[shravi]

Beckham similarly has an incredible contract with LA totalling $250m over five years. However, if we're looking at the rate of income, 120m over six years is still less than 42m over two years, so Dhoni has definitely moved into a competitive tax bracket. I think the amazing thing is that he's not being paid to endorse Rhiti Sports, he's being paid just to be managed by Rhiti Sports. He already endorses 20 odd brands, including what must be lucrative contracts with Reebok and Pepsi. He might only make a couple of million a year from the game of cricket itself, but his advertising value is staggering.

Imagine if India won the World Cup !

 

[sami ullah khan]

If Dhoni starts under performing and India starts losing, I can see Indian fans lambasting Dhoni for being too commercialized and they will argue that he is not concentrating on his cricket. I don't think, any mortal would pass up opportunity to earn this much money. Good on him I say.

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

All cricketer have a period where they under perform, so its not new if dhoni does that.

Lets hope for the best

 

[sohum]

Beckham similarly has an incredible contract with LA totalling $250m over five years. However, if we're looking at the rate of income, 120m over six years is still less than 42m over two years, so Dhoni has definitely moved into a competitive tax bracket. I think the amazing thing is that he's not being paid to endorse Rhiti Sports, he's being paid just to be managed by Rhiti Sports. He already endorses 20 odd brands, including what must be lucrative contracts with Reebok and Pepsi. He might only make a couple of million a year from the game of cricket itself, but his advertising value is staggering.

They're not the same thing, though. You're comparing Johnson's salary to Dhoni's non-salary income. Although they aren't endorsements per se, my understanding is that the agent is responsible for bringing those endorsements in and hence takes a nice, healthy cut. In fact, I'm sure the cut will be pretty big given the large price.

Johnson's $120 million over 6 years is the highest salary by amount this NBA free agency (and, I believe, the max contract amount). I think a more accurate compare would be LeBron James. In 2007, LeBron brought in an estimated $25 million in endorsements alone. His contract right now is worth $110 million over 6 years. If you add the conservative estimate of $25 million a year in endorsements, you're looking at another $150 million there, totaling to $260 million over 6 years before tax. There is simply no compare with Dhoni, here.

Furthermore, baseball players are paid even more than basketball players in the US and I suppose football players are up there, somewhere, as well. Dhoni is certainly forging a path in incomes for cricketers, but compared to the world's richest athletes, he's not close.

 

[angryangy]

Hey, you brought it up first, don't blame me for using your data.

LeBron James is indeed a good example of how high endorsements can get, but he is also an exception; only Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are making more. The Yankees are certainly paying more for A-Rod than the Cavs are for LeBron, (with 275m, middle-loaded over 10 years), but he doesn't make so much as a quarter of LeBron's endorsements.

According to Sports Illustrated's latest richlist, less than half of American sportsmen earning 20m a year make 10m a year in endorsements. Only the top 7 on that list make 30m in total.

There's no point arguing who is more impressive when Tiger makes twice what LeBron does. That throne is safe. However, a sportsman earning 20m a year is probably among the 40 highest paid sportsmen in the world; that's not anything to be scoffed at.