After the tournament concludes, many college players of the aforementioned teams are expected to be NBA first-round draft picks and have the chance to play at the highest level. Even role players can become legends among the fan base with such heroics in March such as a buzzer beater or championship-winning play. With that, many players will have the opportunity to cash in on and off the court as a result of March Madness.
Based on the off-court deals that many of the former players and coaches of Kentucky, Duke, Villanova and Wisconsin have, this year’s crop of players will have a great opportunity to follow in their footsteps. With the help of Thuzio 360, the largest and most comprehensive database of sports talent, we are able to compare the Thuzio Projected Retail (TPR) of the #1 seeded teams’ former players to declare the highest value alumni group based on TPRs.
The Thuzio Projected Retail pricing reflects the quote you should expect to receive from the talent’s representation for a booking, and separately reflects the appearance fee, Twitter post fee, and Instagram post fee for each of the 20,000+ athletes and sports personalities in Thuzio 360. The platform is essentially a digital library of commercial information with sortable categories such as brand affiliations, social media information, and much more. There are over 300,000 data points on Thuzio 360, making it an incredible resource for businesses seeking information on athlete sponsorship deals or representation.
Kentucky, the obvious choice for the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament given their undefeated 34-0 record, is also the TPR champion among #1 seeds given the sheer number of players listed on Thuzio 360 and their high TPRs. Former Kentucky star, Lakers and Heat championship coach, and current Heat executive Pat Riley commands $100,000 for his appearances. Unfortunately, the coaching great doesn’t have a Twitter or Instagram account. Other in-demand Kentucky alums on Thuzio 360 include Rajon Rondo, clocking in at $20,000 for appearances, $10,000 for an Instagram post, and $12,500 for a tweet. Anthony Davis, a former NCAA Player of the Year with the Wildcats and current NBA All-Star, has a TPR of $25,000 for an appearance, $10,000 for an Instagram post, and $5,000 for a tweet. Across all former Kentucky players on Thuzio 360, is an average estimated appearance fee of $6,681.82, higher than Duke’s $5,978.26.
As for Duke, they are just behind Kentucky in terms of the TPRs of their former players. Current NBA All-Star and former Blue Devils point guard Kyrie Irving commands $25,000 for appearances, $15,000 for Instagram posts and $10,000 for a tweet, whereas former Duke champion Christian Laettner charges $15,000 for an appearance, yet only $3,000 for a twitter post. Conversely, Grant Hill and Shane Battier charge $7,500 and $5,000 respectively for their Twitter posts.
Next among the NCAA Tournament number one seeds is Villanova led by former Wildcat star and current Toronto Raptors All-Star Kyle Lowry who commands $7,500, $5,000 and $2,500 for appearance, Instagram, and Twitter fees respectively. Another ‘Nova star in Thuzio 360 is New Orleans Pelicans forward Dante Cunningham, who charges just $3,000 for an appearance, yet $1,000 for a tweet by comparison. Wisconsin is also well represented on Thuzio 360, though their players are not as prominent as the Kentucky and Duke alums. Former Badger and current Toronto Raptor center Greg Stiemsma carries the largest asking price, with $3,000 for an appearance, and Instagram and Twitter posts at $2,000 each.
It is a fascinating exercise to browse through Thuzio 360 and get lost in their data. Aside from TPR, being able to see that Irving, for example, has sponsorship deals with Pepsi, Foot Locker, Nike and others makes it incredibly easy for brand managers to analyze him as a potential face of their brand. It is worth signing up for a seven-day trial to experience first-hand the myriad data points that can inform booking decisions, and it is especially interesting in the coming weeks when looking at March Madness heroes of years past.
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