Arnold Palmer was a sports marketing pioneer

Those who think of Michael Jordan as the “father of sports marketing” should check out the storied career of Arnold Palmer, who died on Sept. 25. Marketing endorsements reportedly earned the golf legend 50 times that which he won in tournaments over the years. His first marketing deals were signed in 1959 and perhaps culminated with the official licensing of his eponymous iced tea/lemonade concoction which reached $200 million in sales in 2015.