The athletics legend has an impressive legacy thanks to his deals, endorsements and forays into the business world.
In 2017, the career of one of those unrepeatable personalities in the sports world ended. Usain Bolt (36), the Jamaican athlete who won 11 world championships, 8 Olympic golds and two outstanding records – 100 meters (9.58) and 200 meters (19.19) – said goodbye to the descent and paved the way for a new stage in your life. Not without before, yes, he tried his luck as a football player.
An ephemeral adventure, dressed in the jerseys of the Australian Central Sailors and the Norwegian Stromsgodst, with which Bolt intended to make a dream come true and continue to somehow feel the adrenaline of competition. He eventually gave up and started focusing on his personal projects and cultivating his legend.
With its undeniable appeal, the Jamaican was and still is a value-added claim and is currently associated with many companies through commercial and sponsorship deals that provide good rewards to the athlete. Above all, we can highlight the person who keeps you associated with PUMA for life, but also others are no less profitable with Hublot (watches), Allianz (insurance), SprintRay (dental/3D printing), Epson (printing), Ava Trade (Broker), Peloton (Fitness) or Virgin Media (Communication).
But beyond what Usain Bolt generates as a brand, there are also the many forays the former athlete has made into the business world, realizing that building an empire costs more than wasting it. “I’ve seen a lot of people give up and come back just to make things worse or to embarrass themselves. I wouldn’t be one of those people,” he said in 2017, assuming there won’t be a resounding comeback.
Not that he was ever described as a big spender. On the contrary, with time I knew which steps were right. “When I started making money, I spent a little more than I wanted to, but I have to thank my team who helped me both understand and save,” he confirmed to CNBC Make It in 2021 and also allowed himself to give advice. “I tell people that if you make $10, save $6, and then you can figure out what to do with the rest,” he concluded.
And what he thought of was a network of traditional businesses, such as his restaurant chain Tracks & Records, and other businesses that would satisfy his musical passion, such as his production company A-Team Lifestyle, some of them related to new technologies applied to sport (Let’s Do This) and esports (WYLDE). ) or sustainable mobility.
He is best known for his 2018 commitment to Bolt Mobility, which has strived to revolutionize transport with safe, smart and sustainable transport solutions aimed at reducing traffic jams, parking congestion and carbon footprint impact. Although he has witnessed in recent months how he has had to scale back his operations due to problems with VCs not meeting their obligations.
We Passed by Michael Jordan
However, Usain Bolt is taking steps in a direction that, like Michael Jordan, can bring him great benefits in the future. That is, if the basketball legend has built one of the most successful and recognized brands on the planet, the Jamaican alone intends to imitate him.
On August 17, Bolt filed an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office for a logo that mimics his legendary post-race triumphant gesture, and two days later he filed the same lawsuit, this time with a trademark. The objective is nothing more than to monitor their backs, protect their image and cultivate the land so that they can explore it in the not too distant future through products such as jewelry, bags, perfumes, sunglasses, sneakers and various sporting goods, between others. possibilities.
It is not Usain Bolt’s first order for this purpose, because in 2009 he obtained trademark registration for a similar logo, but it was terminated in 2017 because Bolt did not provide evidence that he was actually using the trademark to sell goods in the United States. (a requirement to maintain the registration of federal trademarks). But now he looks serious.
His alliance with PUMA may be instrumental in exploring his personal brand, as was the case with NIKE with Michael Jordan at the time, or the Jamaican may have other plans and prefer to try his luck alone. In any case, given the charisma he still has, the natural thing is that he transforms the game into another financial success that helps to increase his assets, which are valued at around 100 million euros.
