The Current Distribution of Chinese Athletes with High Commercial Value and the Reasons for Its Formation

Although the Paris Olympics ended, the heat of the event has not subsided. The commercial value of athletes has been continuously explored, and the commercial value of athletes plays an important role in driving national economic growth. Using mathematical statistics, literature, and comparative analysis, this paper examines the distribution of the commercial value of Chinese athletes by focusing on three aspects: whether the athletes’ sports are traditional popular sports in the general sense, the degree of professionalization of the athletes’ sports, and the gender of the athletes. The study found that Chinese athletes with high commercial value are concentrated in niche, highly professional, and female sports. The main reason for this is that China’s strength in traditional popular sports is not outstanding, but niche and women’s sports are more reflective of today’s popular pursuit of individuality and national image. This study provides many meaningful benchmarks for future research in this direction, most importantly providing a theoretical basis for the trend that the commercial value of Chinese athletes has gradually shifted from niche events to traditional mass events.