Is Sydney more "valuable" than Sha'carri?

Sha'carri has brought eyeballs back to sprints. She is a fantastic runner + a huge personality that influences. Sydney is an even more fantastic runner, but without the extroverted personality she does not get as much attention (except for the month or so after she breaks a world record). The shoe companies want attention. It is an extroverts world. As an introvert I find that hard sometimes. Being really great at something does not matter quite as much as being really good and also being willing to seek out the spotlight. I wish it wasn't so, but it is.

Personally, I have come to associate the New Balance brand with people of ultimate character. They seem more selective about the type of people they sponsor, and they seem to look for more than just a fast runner. I think Sydney is smart and likely made the best overall choice for herself.

I’d ask to date Sha’Carri before I do to Sydney.

no, because Nike is all about the upside of a contract (as Ato Boldon stated in the podcast). What would Sydney bring, she's hardly visible, not 'rock and roll' or 'street-cred hiphop' like Sha'Carri plus she's in a non-event.

I know all y’all don’t like her, but Syd is, clearly, the best woman track athlete of this century. What’s she have, 4 or 5 world records? Only Mondo, and Bolt, top that. I love Sha’Carri, but give Syd her due. If the schedule, her goals and rules permitted, I think she could medal in the 200, 400, 400H, 4x4 and mixed 4x4. I don’t care, at all, for her schedule-maker or god-talk, but she IS god.

Ask NBC or Netflix

The 100m is much more valuable than the 400 Hurdles.

The open 400 is bigger than the hurdles. Syd ran 48. and could have pushed her star higher doing the double or simply focusing on the open 400.

Jenny Simpson helped herself a lot by leaving the steeplechase to focus on the 1500. Her Gold in the 1500 was a big deal.

I agree she is one of the best track athletes of this generation, and the best I've seen in my life!

But it does come back to which is more valuable for moving merch. I think I have to go with Sha'Carri on that.

Not that Sydney is nothing—I think it's a lot closer than many folks are making it seem here.

She pulls crowds at events, for sure. Then again, so does Sha'Carri!

I'd go Sha'Carri for the short term, and Sydney for the longer term.

They're both awesome, though, and I love seeing them rep the USA.

Sydney has the highest current value, in that she's proven her talent, consistency and dominance, even if she doesn't perform/appear all that often.

Sha'Carri I think has the higher potential between the two, as Sha'Carri's extrovertness and Sha'Carri being in a higher profile event (100m) is lucrative to sponsors. Sha'Carri still needs to show the consistency at the higher level, which makes her the riskier bet.

I've traveled long distances with my daughter to see Sydney run. I have not, and will not, do that for Sha'Carri.

It isn’t about which athlete is better. Sydney is hands down a generational talent. Sha’Carri is not. And if SML were to focus on the 400m, it would validate the pure talent she has. The question is, who is more valuable? I’m assuming NB offered crazy money to lure her away from Nike. If she were more willing to do more commercials, her brand would be much bigger.
Think back, Michael Johnson was only bigger than the 100 men’s champion when he took the two WRs and the double at the Olympics.
The one athlete who would be bigger than all of them would be Hall. If she was not a multi, with little opportunity to compete during the circuit, she would be the biggest star in track and field.

Actually going off overall WRs its Genzebe 7 WRs (6 indoors, 1 Outdoors)

For the puritans outdoor world records its Kipyegon with 5 WRs (2 in the 1500, 1 each in the Mile, 5K and 4x1500M)

Going by titles its Tirunesh Dibaba as the best woman athlete this century

No. My mom who has never run knows who Sha'carri is and even said she looked cool but she absolutely has no idea who Sydney Mclaughlin is.

If ShaCarri can put together a perfect race with a legal tailwind and get Flo Jo's WR this becomes a non question. She's already famous and was adored even when she messed up in 2021 and ran horribly in 2022. That's one of the most epic (if not suspicious) WRs that everyone knows. She would instantly become the new FloJo in the eyes of the public. Sydney has already proven herself to be once in a lifetime athlete and I hope MJs track league shows us more of her personality. I do wish she would at least post when she's racing. Overall, I think it's hard to say right now. Nike and New Balance have made their investments. Time will tell who gets the biggest return.

"Valuable" is the operative word. If SR wins gold in Paris, she will cash in big time with some quick flash in the pan endorsements. I don't see a long-term endorsement deal (besides Nike, which is great at $20 million over 5 years). The whole "street cred", bad girl persona will burn out quickly, but not before she makes a few bucks. SML on the other hand is way more marketable and can land multiple long-term deals with virtually any big-time company. She's attractive, successful, and well-spoken. There's virtually nothing she can't represent at the highest level. Her long-term "value" far exceeds anything SR can do.

I honestly don't get why either is that valuable. Sha'Carri comes off as dumb and wigged out, while Sydney is pretty, she has zero charisma. Why would anyone pay someone that much who doesn't even represent their brand very often? I'd like to know what percentage of track fans are sprint fans vs distance fans and how brands actually can quantify the value an athlete brings to their brand's track-related sales.

Sydney is arguably a better track athlete than Sha'carri. But...as we all know...the general public doesn't give a fat dog's fart about track athletes.

Objectively speaking, Sha'carri is way more marketable to the mainstream than Sydney.

Definitely is more valuable, and much better looking too

The question should be, if Sydney was the same skin color as Shacarri, would this even be a question? The fact that one response above even tries to bring in Anna Hall into the equation show the ridiculous bias of the typical letsrun keyboard warrior. The 100m is the signature event of track and field. If Shacarri becomes the world & olympic champion, then this becomes a ridiculous question to ask. By the way, kids in Africa, Asia and South America know who Shacarri is but haven't got a clue who Sydney is. But to the average white male, only one thing counts as seen with the ridiculous obsession with the talentless Valby!