Gendered Perception of Sports Celebrity Value: A Consumer and Financial Perspective from India

Abstract

This paper will analyze the differences between male and female perceptions and monetary worth of sport celebrities in India by combining the consumer perceptions and market structures. It is a mixed methods methodology that incorporates qualitative interviews with quantitative secondary data of endorsements, media presence, and profits. International studies indicate that media coverage plays a central role in shaping athlete perception and recognition (Herrera et al., 2024, Pocock and Skey, 2024), which manifests in the Indian context by disproportionately covering and sponsoring athletes. Results reveal that structural visibility gap restrains the level of brand recall and commercial value among female athletes which are substantiated by the data of endorsement and media concentration of the Indian market. Also, there is still an awareness behavior gap in the consumption pattern (Brisbane et al., 2023). The research concludes that inequality is structurally cemented and needs to be invested in and represented fairly.