India’s Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra is the talk of the town. After his heroics at the Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj has signed his first set of endorsement deals. According to an ET report, Neeraj has been signed by India’s top online education firm Byju’s, Tata AIA Life Insurance, a top pharmaceutical brand and several others. However, it is the brand value of Neeraj Chopra that has broken all the records. According to subject experts, the 10-fold rise in Neeraj’s endorsement value is a record for any athlete in India after an individual sporting event. So, Neeraj Chopra has shattered records that even top Cricketers could not break.
Mustafa Ghouse, chief executive of JSW Sports who manages and sponsors Neeraj, in a statement remarked that Neeraj was sought by almost 80 brands. Ghouse said, “While we have requests from close to 80 brands, Neeraj has a limited number of free days between training camps in India and abroad over the next 12-14 months, so we have to be selective about signing on brands. Apart from the mainstream endorsements, multiple digital-only deals are also being lined up, following interest from brands”
These multi-year deals will run-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics, with Chopra desisting from endorsing alcohol or tobacco brands.
Read more: This is the best ever Olympics for India and the Olympics where India’s upward movement begins
Neeraj Chopra – a man connected to his roots
Neeraj’s popularity might have shot through the roof overnight due to his Olympic exploits but it has also compounded because of his mild-mannered behaviour and charismatic real-life persona.
Despite achieving the ultimate greatness, Neeraj Chopra is still focused on who he is. While several athletes after tasting success tend to get lost in the glitz, Neeraj has kept his foot on the ground. He has called out the country’s habit of being satisfied with a single Gold.
Since winning Tokyo, Neeraj has been forced to complete the obligations of attending high-profile functions and at times unnecessary media duties.
It has hampered his training and as a result, he missed the Diamond League. Neeraj, in an interview, said, “There’s a Diamond League at the end of the month. I had planned to participate in it, but my training stopped completely once I returned from the Olympic Games because of the incessant number of functions. I also fell sick. This is why I feel my fitness is not up there now. I can’t compete properly. That’s why I have to skip the event.”
Neeraj added, “I had planned to compete in at least two to three events. These things need to change in Indian sport. All other Olympic champions are participating in Diamond Leagues. Their season is continuing. We can’t be satisfied with one gold medal. We need to think at a global level. We need to continuously perform at global events like the Diamond Leagues,”
Advertisers want integrity and Neeraj embodies it
Advertisers and brands want a celebrity who holds integrity to their name. During his press tour, on more than one occasion, Neeraj has shown that he is a man of integrity that has a good head on his shoulder.
Neeraj Chopra is a cool-headed and wise gentleman, the ‘Adam Teasing’ of 23-year-old Chopra by 40-year-old RJ Malishka being a case in point. In August, Neeraj Chopra appeared for a virtual talk with RJ Malishka Mendosa and her colleagues on Red FM. While Chopra thought that he would have a sophisticated talk with the radio jockeys and share his Olympics experience with them, what soon became of the virtual talk, was a repulsing and sick adam-teasing cringe-fest.
To put it very simply, the bunch of women danced and teased Neeraj Chopra, making him very uncomfortable, while the hosts themselves ended up looking like buffoons.
Despite Chopra looking uncomfortable, the radio jockey with her team was seen dancing to the tunes of ‘Ude jab jab zulfein teri, kuwaariyon ka dil machle.’ After making awkward sounds following her dance blitzkrieg, Malishka went on to ask Chopra to come closer to his screen, so that they can both have what she called a “jaadu ki jhappi” or a hug. To this creepy advance, Neeraj Chopra replied saying, “Namaste aise door se he,” which means “Namaste, but from a distance.
Ladiesssss..Yes I got the hard hitting, deep answers too but..Take the first 4 secs before the cam moves to the zoom call to guess who we are dancing for😇 ;) #udejabjabzulfeinteri and then tell me I did it for all of us😄 #gold #olympics #neerajchopra @RedFMIndia @RedFM_Mumbai pic.twitter.com/SnEJ99MK31
— Mumbai Ki Rani (@mymalishka) August 19, 2021
Read More: The ‘Adam Teasing’ of 23 Years old Neeraj Chopra by 40 years old RJ Malishka is reprehensible
A similar yet much more cringe-inducing incident happened when a left elitist in Rajeev Sethi, during an interview showered praises on Neeraj Chopra for his physical appearance, saying, “What a handsome young man you are!” Then, the Padma Bhushan awardee went on to ask, “How do you maintain a balance between your sex life and athletic training? I know this is a weird question.” Rajeev Sethi did not stop there and proceeded to elaborate his question in further detail.
https://twitter.com/rose_k01/status/1433825977667182592?s=20
Read More: ‘Sorry, just sorry,’ Neeraj Chopra gets angry as he is asked shameless question about his ‘sex life’
Sethi also lied, as he said that crores of Indians were eagerly awaiting a response on Neeraj Chopra’s “sex life.” It was done with the intent of justifying his cheap questions, but it did not fare well in front of Neeraj Chopra.
Chopra said “sorry” at least two times in a sarcastic tone, making it known that he had no intention of answering such a ridiculous question posed by a class elitist who thinks he can blabber just about anything in front of a young man who happens to belong to a modest family of Haryana. Chopra was visibly disgusted and said that his heart was overwhelmed by the cheap question.
Neeraj Chopra at the young age of 23 has shown that he is mature for his age, has a vision for the Indian sports scene and commands respect. While other athletes might have lost their calm, which would have been perfectly justified, Neeraj kept his cool and in the most gracious of manners, averted a crisis. These are the markings of a sports star and he rightfully deserves the accolades and the brand deals coming his way. Hopefully, Neeraj Chopra’s success story inspires several other small-town athletes looking to make it big one day.
