There are 21 women in the annual list of the World’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes published by SportsPro.

That number was 14 back in 2013 and dipped to 12 two years later. It is the highest proportion of Women to be included since the list was first published in 2010.

One notable point is that the winners of the men’s and women’s Ballon D’Or in football, awarded last night both feature but that Alexia Putellas at number 13 features 18 places ahead of her male counterpart Karim Benzema in 31st.

There are two Irish sporting stars on the list. Katie Taylor comes in at 47 and Rory McIlroy (though he is listed as British which is technically incorrect) is one place lower at 48th. McIlroy’s high point came in 2013 when he was 7th on the list.

Other Irish stars to have appeared down the years include Conor McGregor, Darren Clarke and Katie Walsh.

The metrics are based on three different elements.

The brand strength score, which carries a maximum score of 20, is determined by individual factors such as an athlete’s competitive bperformance, citizenship and risk profile, based on data captured between December 2021 and July 2022.

Audience and reach – with a maximum score of 50 – comprises factors such as brand awareness and focus, follower engagement and demographic reach, and consumer perception and sentiment.

The economics score, which carries a maximum score of 30, goes beyond the traditional financial measure of ROI to assess market demand for the athlete, their proactive engagement with social or environmental issues, and growth potential.

One athlete that we might see knocking on the door in future iterations is Leona Maguire but the bar is high. Nelly Korda is the top-ranked female golfer in the extended list coming in at 62.

This year’s Top 10 most marketable athletes are:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo
2. Serena Williams
3. Lewis Hamilton
4. Lebron James
5. Lionel Messi
6. Naomi Osaki
7. Virat Kohli
8. Alex Morgan
9. Sam Kerr
10. Tom Brady

You can dive into the full extended list by clicking here though be warned, it may take out much of the rest of your day…