Being beautiful is an advantage particularly when it comes to marketability claims
Sorana Cirstea who shared it in a recent interview.
The Romanian player was recently a guest on the La Fileu podcast where she talked about many different things in tennis and around tennis. When the topic moved to sponsors and marketability, Cirstea recalled when she was endorsed by Adidas as an official sponsor:
"I remember, for example, when I had a contract with Adidas. They, all the time, considering that I look good for a sportswoman, they told me: "It's better to look good and be Top 20 than not look so good and be number 1!"
It's based on the widely accepted yet rarely mentioned fact that more attractive people tend to have more opportunities in life, particularly where appearance is important. Being marketable is based upon how good you but also how good you look and Cirstea understood adding:
"Because when you're in the Top 20, you're seen anyway. You are there 24/7, every week, every tournament. And they told me: 'It's better to be beautiful, Top 10, Top 20, than less beautiful and number 1!'. I mean, they too, you realize, that they have their quotas, it's a market."
Another thing she mentioned was the demographic that you speak to:
"For example, the best paid: American, Chinese, Japanese! From Japan there is Osaka, for example. Rupe! She was the highest paid athlete in all sports in recent years. It's the market! Great Britain, too, sells. Spain, the same. Eastern Europe doesn't really sell! It's not the same and it depends a lot on you, on your personality! What you inspire, how you present yourself! That matters a lot too."