The most decorated Olympian of all-time, Michael Phelps, might have said goodbye to competitive swimming, but his dryland fame and exposure continues to rise. On the heels of the American winning his 23rd gold medal, making his Olympic career haul total an astounding 28, Phelps once again rose to become one of the most recognizable faces out of Rio.
Riding his Olympic-fueled time in the spotlight, Phelps has appeared as a guest on ‘America’s Got Talent’ and on MTV’s Video Music Awards last summer, as well as just today on ‘The Ellen Show’ about the Michael Phelps Foundation.
The 31-year-old new father also has lucrative sponsorship deals with Under Armour, Omega and Sol, among several others, and now has taken on another sponsor into his portfolio. Phelps has reportedly signed an endorsement deal with Brazilian broadcaster Globo, the nation’s official media partner of the Olympic Games until 2032.
Joining Brazilian pole vaulter Thiago Braz da Silva, Phelps will begin appearing on advertisements, both digital and print-based, within the U.S.
Globo’s broadcast of the 2016 Olympic Games reached approximately 173 million local viewers. The company also supports the Olympic Channel launched by the International Olympic Committee several months ago
Ryan disliked
I keep waiting for NBC to hire Michael for color coverage. I want to hear what his insight can do to improve the sport’s attraction on television.
not hating on the guy, but he isn’t very lively when he talks, like rowdy.
Just look at his SNL appearance – that alone killed many of his TV/movie options.
I don’t think doing color commentary on a sport you know in and out is comparable to doing SNL. The NFL has made plenty of famous faces prominently featured as network analysts, and had good success with it (Steve Young, Troy Aikman, etc.). None of them would make good actors, but they can talk about someone throwing a ball and people eat it up. Same with Phelps, people would enjoy him in the announcers booth giving the athlete perspective.
He mentioned in a Sports Illustrated article that Rowdy said this was his last Olympics and that maybe the GOAT could take his sport. Phelps said he wouldn’t turn it down and I’m pretty sure NBC would pick him up. He would be great at it.
Shocking that Globo didn’t hire Ryan Lochte
ahahahhahahahhah