NEW YORK—A gold medal used to be the golden ticket for lucrative endorsements — think Mary Lou Retton on a Wheaties box. But in the age of social media, athletes are making a name for themselves well ahead of time. For example, skier Mikaela Shiffrin has parlayed her Olympic success, beginning with her first gold medal in Sochi when she was 18, to a net worth reportedly in the millions. Before his team won bronze for team ice skating, skater Adam Rippon stayed in the headlines with his social media presence. “Any athlete or celebrity that has an influential social media footprint certainly can commercialize that,” he said.

Source: thestar February 16, 2018 22:52 UTC