Stephanie Rice won three gold medals in Beijing, but she will receive an even larger pot of gold on her return to Australia. The glamour girl, who has good looks and gold medals, is set to make millions from endorsements and sponsorships.
She is smart, articulate, has a great smile, and thanks to her medal haul in Beijing, is the most talked about and popular Australian sportsperson at the moment.
And that makes her the hottest girl in town. At least for advertisers.
Celebrity agent Max Markson has predicted that Rice will be the “next Ian Thorpe” in regards to the amount of money she will earn out of the pool.
And, according to International Quarterback Managing Director Chris White, the phone has already been ringing for sponsorship deals.
“Stephanie will skyrocket as a personality in Australia,” White told Fairfax media.
“She’ll be substantially rewarded, and deservedly so … there’s no doubt about that.”
International Quarterback, which also boasts clients such as Grant Hackett and Michael Clarke, only took over the management of Rice in July.
You can expect her to be the new face of many big brands in a variety of industries from clothing, make-up and swim wear, to watches, cars and breakfast cereals.
But White stressed that his organisation would carefully assess the right image for Rice without making any rushed decisions.
“The corporate endorsement spotlight is all new to Stephanie,” White said.
“We’ll step through a thorough process … It’s imperative that we get the right brand image for her.”
According to reports on Channel 9 news, a gold medal can fetch an athlete anywhere between one and two million dollars in sponsorship deals.
With Rice’s three golds, it’s likely she’ll get a lot more than that.
Justin
Guest
Rabbitz - I have also had to pay HECS, its a fact of life that further education comes at a cost (for the majority). I also think it is a fact of life that those who are exceptional are looked after more by authorities, whether they be government or private institutions. I know people who are in the science fields who have been awarded grants that they will never have to pay back. Good luck to them, also there are many who have MBAs or other qualifications paid for by their employer. They dont have to "pay" them back as it is hoped their performance in the future is the payback. There are many forms of sponsorships, grants etc that do not have to be paid back. I dont know if there is a clause for athletes in terms of paying a HECS type fee or not. Can one of the Roar journo's enlighten us?
Rabbitz
Guest
Justin, I also pay tax and on top of this I also paid HECS for the assistance I got in 'training' from the Government. I think it is only fair that AIS and ASC supported athletes are required to do the same. One possible upshot could be that this HECS type payment could be re-directed back into the various sports, thus increasing the available monies and increasing the talent pool. Just a thought Rabz
Redb
Guest
Surely the hottest athlete in Aussie sport. Deserves every cent on every level. :-) Redb
Harry
Guest
Good on her and I hope she makes millions. Here's a hint for her - steer clear of having Max Markson representing you unless Stephanie wants the same "brand values' as Candice Falzon and Tania Zaetta. On Rabbitz's broader point, can one of you investigative sports journalists wizards at The Roar do a comparision of what is spent on the Olympic sports - swimming, rowing, athletics, cycling, saliling, diving, shooting , gymnastics - versus what is spent on AFL, NRL, Super 14 teams, cricket, netball etc - I read somewhere the average AFL team costs about A$12 million a year to run and the average NRL team A$9 million. Is that right?
Justin
Guest
I am sure she will pay her fair amount of income tax like any other Australian.
Rabbitz
Guest
Good on her... I only hope she sees fit to repay the vast amounts of taxpayer money that has made it all possible.