He has a $242 million contract, seven million Instagram followers after just three posts, and is one of the most recognisable basketballers on the planet, yet Ben Simmons fails spectacularly in marketing appeal.
While Nick Kyrgios has been engulfed in controversy on and off the tennis court – last year’s settled domestic violence charge being the most serious – Simmons ranks a staggering 40 places below Kyrgios in Code Sport’s 50 Most Marketable Australian Athletes list.
Simmons earned the ire of Philadelphia 76ers fans when he sat out practice last season and missed games after falling out with coaches and teammates, and eventually got a trade to the Brooklyn Nets.
But it’s not the nature of controversy that has affected his appeal, but rather performance, according to leading sports marketing expert Tristan Hay.
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