Some of the top sportsmen in the last one hundred years have made themselves considerably richer by becoming entrepreneurs in the world of sporting fashion. However successful at their chosen field of sport, it is often the case that the riches come from the business rather than their sporting achievements.
Some sportsmen and sportswomen lend their own name to the brand such as Fred Perry, while others such as David Beckham endorse and promote a top brand such as Adidas trainers .
The classic example of Fred Perry, the famous tennis player from the early twentieth century, still lives on today.
Shirts bearing the distinctive Fred Perry logo are still considered as fashionable as they were forty years ago, although Mr Perry might have been a little shocked at the array and wide variety of sports clothes now on offer.
Many sportmen have never designed an item of clothing in their life, but just lending their name to a brand and promoting it means big bucks for them and for the manufacturer. We hope that by buying something endorsed by a top celebrity, some of their magic and even sports prowess might rub off on us.
What we must remember though, is that the profit margins on these items are high, plus the celebrity is being paid top money to promote the brand - we would do better to guard our money rather than generate excessive profits at our expense.