The Ballon d’Or effect: How winning it ‘doubles or triples’ a female player’s commercial value

Yahoo Sports

The 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or award was hotly debated, with a PR arms-race among the agencies representing various star names, vying to publicise why their guy should receive the most prized individual accolade in world football. “The more prestigious the award becomes, the more people want to win it, grow their own profile and cement their legacy in the game,” says Josh Hershman, global chief operating officer at London-based sports marketing agency Ten Toes. “It’s the most unsaid element of the B