The Yankees open the MLB season as LeBron James and the Lakers take the court again. Are the Yanks or LeBron the bigger brand?
The biggest team in baseball opens the MLB season as the New York Yankees take on the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals.
Meanwhile, at the same time, perhaps the biggest athlete in all of sports, LeBron James, will take the court as his Los Angeles Lakers face the Dallas Mavericks in a scrimmage game.
But which brand is bigger, the iconic Yankees or the King of the NBA? Well, there's a case for each.
Yankees: The tangible numbers favor the Bronx Bombers. According to Forbes, the Yankees are the second most valuable franchise in all of sports trailing only the Dallas Cowboys. Not to mention the YES Network, where most of their games are broadcast, and of which they have a majority stake, is a major property in its own right. Overall, for an increasingly regional sport, there's a reason the Yankees brand and logo maintains a global appeal.
LeBron: The case for James is more anecdotal. But anything he says or does seems to generate more conversation than do the Yankees, or any other individual or team for that matter. Which is one of the reasons Forbes listed him as the world's most powerful athlete. LeBron also has millions and millions more Twitter and Instagram followers than the Yankees and is the face of a sport that is more internationally popular. In addition, he has begun creating his own media empire and has become an important voice beyond just sports. All of which is probably why his trading card just set a World Record at auction.
Verdict: The Yankees have stood the test of time and are bigger than any individual. (Which is probably why Jay-Z can claim he made the team hat more famous than any player.) But even if their overall brand is indeed more valuable, it's hard to say at this very moment that they are bigger deal than LeBron James.