Home Field Advantage Has Its Benefits

77 years.  That's how long the English had to wait to see a man from the British Isles win Wimbledon.  Aside from the Chicago fans still waiting for the Cubs to put an end to their suffering, the British knew heartache as the host nation and seriously doubted whether they would ever see a countryman hoist the trophy.  

Murray's win over Novak Djokovic not only captivated the hearts of the English people but also the wallets of sponsors from across the world.  Going into Wimbledon, Murray's total earnings from endorsements and prize money came to around $12 million a year.  Now, Nigel Currie, director of the London-based sports marketing agency BrandRapport, estimates the new champion may be able to earn 50 million pounds or $74 million.  

How does Murray's value grow this rapidly?  First, tennis fans have the budding Djokovic-Murray rivalry.  The two have faced each other in four Grand Slam finals and have split their match ups winning two each, but Murray also defeated Djokovic in the Olympics.  With the sun setting on the Federer-Nadal rivalry, these two could be the most competitive tennis stars on the court.  Second, Murray is now both a Wimbledon and Olympic champion.  The day following his most recent victory at the All England Club, his face was plastered on the cover of almost every front page in the United Kingdom.  The final match drew 17.3 million TV viewers, close to 80% of the BBC audience.  Talk about showing support for the hometown hero!

As "Murray Mania" takes hold of the U.K., it's interesting to compare his popularity to other local heroes who played for their hometowns and how their brands took off.  As with Murray, there was a combination of success that went along with their origins, but the combination is deadly for marketers.

CAL RIPKEN JR.: the Iron Man spent his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles, the team he grew up supporting and even played for his father who managed the club.  His talent marked an important era in Orioles baseball and the city would claim him as their most important resident.  To this day, Cal Ripken jerseys still flood the stands at Camden Yards and the outpouring of hometown pride was evident in the ceremony for his statue dedication last season.  Every moment of his career showed that Ripken loves the city as much as the fans love him and for that reason his brand has endured long after his playing career ended.

DAVID FREESE: While he does not have the pedigree of the Iron Man, David Freese almost single handedly brought his home town of St. Louis the 2011 World Series.  To quote Bud Selig, "If you wrote a story like that -- a guy gets traded, comes back to his hometown, he's a hero -- if you sent that in the script, it would get thrown back in your face."  The following year, Freese's jersey ranked #12 on the list of the top-selling jerseys.  Coincidence? I think not.

  
LEBRON JAMES: Although he is no longer a hometown hero, at one point in his career LeBron was the King of Cleveland.  Times have changed drastically since he made "The Decision" and left his town star-less and feeling betrayed, but while he was there, he was easily the number one selling jersey and most prominent athlete.  Who knows, but now there is talk that LeBron might even return to his hometown.  Imagine the marketing potential!




Sources
http://adage.com/article/media/murray-s-wimbledon-win-means-74-million-endorsements/243000/
http://wapc.mlb.com/bal/play/?content_id=24549151&topic_id=8879002&c_id=bal
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120906&content_id=38013476&vkey=news_bal&c_id=bal
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7162955/hometown-boy-david-freese-mvp-world-series
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/10/david_freese_jersey_among_majo.html
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wimbledon-final-bbc-ratings-hit-581539
http://coed.com/2011/03/30/the-9-most-impressive-streaks-in-sports-history/
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/eye-on-baseball/21105057/cardinals-3b-david-freese-totals-vehicle-but-escapes-injury
http://live.drjays.com/index.php/2011/03/31/should-the-cleveland-cavs-retire-lebron-james-jersey/cleveland-cavaliers-v-new-york-knicks/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/prishe/2013/07/07/andy-murray-boosts-future-endorsement-earnings-ending-britains-77-year-drought-at-wimbledon/