When 19-year-old Simone Biles isn’t busy making history, eating pepperoni pizza, or kissing Zac Efron, she’s making bank. Like many successful Olympians, Biles is getting big companies' endorsement deals thrown at her left and right. But how much, exactly, has she made from these deals?
According to E!News, Biles was reportedly worth about $2 million when she arrived in Rio. Before winning her five medals (four gold, one bronze) she was featured in a few “Raising an Olympian” P&G commercials. Due to previous wins in world gymnastic competitions, Biles was worth almost $300,000 just last year, MoneyNation reports. In 2016, though, her net worth has grown an incredible 1000%, and there's no sign of it stopping anytime soon.
As Digiday points out, the 19-year-old’s brand appeal doesn’t just come from her mind-blowing gymnastic skills. Her inspiring back story, including her fierce bond with her family, has won her legions of admirers. Biles also has a significant social media presence, with over two million Instagram followers, giving her an extra personal pull with fans. And she is, of course, a strong role model for women and girls. All of these factors together have led to her current status of over $4 million in endorsement deals with companies such as Hersey's, Nike, and most recently, Kellogg’s.
Nelson Freitas, chief strategy officer at Wunderman New York, told Digiday, “Simone Biles represents the quintessential American dream, and that’s what makes her such a powerful brand ambassador.” We've seen gold medal winners grace our television sets in commercials for years following their respective Olympics. And this might not even be Biles' last Olympic games. All of this means that Simone Biles' net worth is going to continue to grow — and we honestly can't think of anyone more deserving of the big bucks.
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