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Andy Murray wins Wimbledon and 75 million reasons to smile

Stephen Beard Jul 8, 2013
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Andy Murray wins Wimbledon and 75 million reasons to smile

Stephen Beard Jul 8, 2013
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Britain has a new sporting hero. Andy Murray has won the Wimbledon tennis championship — the first time a British man has pulled that off in 77 years. Murray has earned himself more than a place in British sporting history — a lot more — he’s hoisted  himself into a much higher income  bracket. 

As a mere U.S. Open champion and Olympic gold medal winner, Murray had been making a relatively modest $12 million a year.

Nigel Currie of the sports marketing firm brandRapport says that figure will now likely rocket to $75 million a year.

“Murray’s face will be just everywhere this morning,” says Currie . “He is now very, very marketable to the really big global brands.”

Endorsement, sponsorship and merchandising deals, and public appearances will proliferate. Currie says it helps that tennis, like golf, is truly global. And it helps that it’s not a team sport:

“As an individual you have the ability to earn significant sums of money as opposed to being the member of a team sport,” claims Currie.

The dour 26-year-old Murray wept last year on the center court at Wimbledon after he lost that final. Today he’s  smiling. 

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