Alex Morgan is the most marketable athlete in women’s sports in 2023.

The U.S. women’s national team star also stands as the third-most marketable athlete in the world behind Lionel Messi and LeBron James, according to SportsPro’s new ranking, which assesses athletes’ personal brand and reach.

Fellow USWNT forward Megan Rapinoe (No. 5) joins Morgan in the top five. Skier Mikaela Shiffrin (No. 6) and gymnast Simone Biles (No. 8) also rank in the top 10. From the world of tennis, newly-minted US Open champion Coco Gauff sits at No. 12 and Naomi Osaka at No. 14.

LSU star Angel Reese (No. 19) is the lone women’s basketball player on the list. She catapulted to stardom after leading the Tigers to their first national title in program history in 2023.

In total, 23 women are included among SportsPro’s top 50 most marketable athletes for 2023. In the World Cup year, Morgan and Rapinoe both jumped up the list, with the former up from eighth place and the latter up from 27th.

Serena Williams, who has since retired, dropped off the list, while Osaka and Australian soccer star Sam Kerr dropped out of the top 10.

This year’s list “underlines the growing commercial influence and value of women’s sport,” according to SportsPro. For the first time, qualitative research was included with quantitative marketability measurements to help determine the final rankings.

“This year’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes list follows the most comprehensive assessment of athlete marketability we’ve ever undertaken in the 14-year history of SportsPro’s annual ranking,” said Michael Long, editorial director at SportsPro.

The U.S. women’s national team has endured plenty of criticism for its disappointing World Cup performance. The loss to Sweden in the Round of 16 marked its earliest ever exit from the tournament.

Some athletes have come to the program’s defense in recent days. Decorated alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin was the latest to offer her support, in a social media post on Saturday.

“A lot of people know about football/soccer, but not so much about the specific dynamic within the team, the organization, all the little things that happen on a daily basis,” Shiffrin wrote. “We just don’t see everything. We don’t know everything. And I think it’s important to remember that before pressing ‘post’ in the comment section.”

Shiffrin understands the kind of spotlight the USWNT players are under. She has the most World Cup wins (88) of any alpine skier in history and is a two-time Olympic Gold medalist. Last month, she was named the Best Female Athlete of 2023.

Amid all of the noise around the USWNT, Shiffrin encourages fans to exercise restraint.

“These conversations (if that’s what you call them) are truly unavoidable in big moments where a lot of people care,” Shiffrin wrote. “But sometimes I just feel like it’s awful. So incredibly ugly and hateful, especially when you are basically isolated at the wrong end of the barrel.”

Shiffrin added: “It is also undeniable that our USWNT raised the bar for soccer (and women’s sports in general) so exponentially that the entire world had no choice but to find that path, and start sprinting. And I have no doubt that our team will find their own path yet again, and raise that bar yet again. And they will continue to do this whole advocating for women’s sports, equality and inclusivity the entire time.”

Angel Reese is confident about LSU’s chances for a repeat performance in the upcoming college basketball season.

Reese received the award for Best Breakthrough Athlete at the 2023 ESPY Awards on Wednesday after helping the Tigers to their first national championship earlier this year. She beat out Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, the San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy and the Seattle Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez.

In her speech, she promised another national championship to LSU fans.

“Last year I transferred from the University of Maryland to play at LSU, and I just joined a family,” she said. “So I just want to say thank you. And another natty is coming, period.”

She also gave a shout-out to her mom, who “put me and my brother through college.” Reese’s brother Julian plays for the Maryland men’s basketball team.

Last month, Reese told People about what winning the national championship and the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player award meant to her.

“I’ll go down in history for doing what I did, and our team will for winning. I’m happy we were able to do that for Louisiana,” she said, noting that while it’s been overwhelming at times, she’s embraced being a role model.

“It’s a blessing, honestly. I’ve kind of embraced it. People are watching me,” she added. “I mean, it’s a fast life I’m living. I think I have to mature quickly. I’m going to learn from mistakes that I make, but I have a lot of great people around me that help me and I’m blessed to have them around me. I’m happy.”

ESPYs 2023: Women’s sports winners

  • Best Athlete, Women’s Sports: Mikaela Shiffrin, Skiing
  • Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports: Caitlin Clark, Iowa basketball
  • Best Breakthrough Athlete: Angel Reese, LSU basketball
  • Best WNBA Player: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
  • Best Boxer: Claressa Shields
  • Arthur Ashe Award for Courage: U.S. women’s national soccer team
  • Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award: Lauren and Jrue Holiday

TIME has named its 100 most influential people of 2023, a list which includes skier Mikaela Shiffrin, WNBA star Brittney Griner and No. 1 tennis player Iga Swiatek.

Fellow Team USA player Sue Bird wrote the tribute to Griner as part of the list. Bird had been a vocal component of the campaign to bring the Phoenix Mercury center home while she was detained in Russia for 10 months in 2022.

“Underneath this story of inner strength is so much more,” writes Bird. “BG’s wrongful detainment brought attention to issues like the inequities in pay for women athletes, which sometimes compel us to put ourselves in dangerous situations to maximize our financial worth. It brought to light the dozens of Americans wrongfully detained around the world, and BG continues to use her platform as a sports superstar to advocate for their release.

“It speaks to the power of the women who rallied around her—Black women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, our WNBA community—and who made certain her name was never forgotten, that she’d return home.”

Shiffrin, meanwhile, is recognized for her record-breaking runs on the slopes this season that helped her break Ingemar Stenmark’s all-time wins record.

Written by fellow skiing legend Lindsey Vonn, she calls Shiffrin the next “female global sports superstar” with Serena Williams stepping away from tennis.

“She’s really stepped into the spotlight and done a great job moving the needle for our sport,” she writes. “She’s competing against herself at this point—she could reach 100 wins. It’s just a matter of how long Mikaela Shiffrin wants to keep at it. The sky’s the limit for her.”

Swiatek’s excerpt, meanwhile, is written by Shiffrin. The two are known friends and supported one another throughout their recent runs of success.

“Throughout her rise to the top of tennis—and the top of sport—Iga has shown vulnerability and courage. She strives relentlessly to improve her game. She gives credit to those who have supported her, without discounting her own skills and work. She has advocated for mental health and supported Ukrainians in their fight to protect their home,” writes Shiffrin. “As an athlete, and more importantly as a human, she embodies the kind of confidence that everyone should emulate—the confidence of action over mere talk.

“When Iga walks out on the court, she puts her eye on the ball, and she doesn’t let it stray.”

Just one week after breaking the record for all-time World Cup wins, Mikaela Shiffrin made some more history to conclude the 2022-23 alpine skiing season.

By winning the final event of the season — a giant slalom in Soldeu, Andorra — the 28-year-old Shiffrin won her 88th career race and broke the records for most career women’s giant slalom wins (21) and most women’s career podiums (138).

Shiffrin was previously tied with Swiss skier Vreni Schneider for most World Cup giant slalom wins by a woman and fellow American Lindsey Vonn for most women’s World Cup podium finishes. The current record for overall podium finishes is held by former Swedish skier Ingemar Stenmark (155) — a record Shiffrin could break as early as next year if she reproduces her success from this season.

In addition to winning the overall World Cup title — her fifth all-time — Shiffrin also takes home both the giant slalom and slalom crystal globes. The three-time Olympic medalist won 14 total races this season, which would have been a record if not for her 17-win season in 2018-19.

Mikaela Shiffrin won World Cup race No. 87 on Saturday, breaking Ingemar Stenmark’s record to become the all-time winningest alpine skier in history.

She broke the record in 1,170 fewer days than Stenmark, and did so in Are Sweden – the site of her first World Cup win as a 17-year-old in 2012. Both the record-breaking win and Shiffrin’s first win came in the slalom, her best race. 

“I’ve experienced everything here. My experiences in Are have been tumultuous and completely vibrant,” Shiffrin told ESPN on Friday. “I won my first World Cup race here, had my first major injury here, had great races and tough races. This is the first place I was going to come back to ski racing after my dad died. For this to happen here, it feels somehow like that karma sway has been involved.”

The win came just one day after she matched the record, which had stood for 34 years.

“Pretty hard to comprehend that thought,” Shiffrin said on Saturday. “Holy crap.”

In a video posted by NBC which includes congratulations from the likes of Simone Biles and Kate Winslet, Stenmark congratulated Shiffrin. 

“Congratulations to you (for) breaking my record,” Stenmark said. “It was fantastic.”

Fantastic and dominant, with Shiffrin finishing 0.92 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Wedny Holdener. It marks her 13th win of the season, second-most for her behind the record 17 races she won in 2019. 

“I think what’s allowed Mikaela to do this is the pureness of her desire to not only be the best in the world but be the best version of herself every time she goes out,” Paul Kristofic, head alpine coach for U.S. Ski & Snowboard, told ESPN. “She is obsessed with perfect skiing and that’s what she’s trying to do every time she goes out.”

Mikaela Shiffrin tied the alpine skiing record for World Cup wins with a giant slalom victory Friday in Are, Sweden.

Her 86th career win ties the mark set by Swedish men’s skier Ingemar Stenmark, who retired from World Cup competition in 1989. The record-tying win came at the site of her first World Cup win, which she accomplished in December 2012 at age 17.

“I’ve had a quite a few different experiences here,” Shiffrin said after her first run Friday. “I have felt everything you can feel here so it’s special to be back.”

The 27-year-old will have an opportunity to break the record Saturday in the slalom – her best event.

“It was just a spectacular day,” said Shiffrin, who finished 0.64 seconds ahead of Federica Brignone.

Already this season the 27-year-old American had broken Lindsey Vonn’s record for women’s World Cup wins. Vonn retired in 2019 with 82 wins; Shiffrin surpassed her with a giant slalom win in January.

With Friday’s win, she also tied the women’s record for World Cup victories in giant slalom, matching Vreni Schneider with 20. 

The race also marked win No. 12 of the season for Shiffrin. With seven races left on the schedule, she has a chance to improve upon her record 17 wins during the 2018-19 campaign.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s chase of the women’s World Cup record lives on after she finished seventh in a super-G race Sunday, 0.62 seconds behind the winner.

The 27-year-old tied fellow American Lindsey Vonn’s mark of 82 wins on Jan. 8 with a grand slalom victory in Slovenia. But she missed the podium in three straight events in Cortina, Italy, so her quest continues.

While Shiffrin missed her chance to break the record this weekend, the upcoming World Cup schedule still offers opportunities.

Her next chances to break the tie with Vonn will come in two giant slaloms at the Kronplatz resort in San Vigilio di Marebbe, Italy, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Should Shiffrin not break the tie in those races, then giant slalom and slalom races await her in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic, on Jan. 28 and 29. Should Shiffrin still sit one win short after these races, she would have to wait until February to try again.

When she does claim the women’s record, Shiffrin next will turn to Ingemar Stenmark’s overall record of 86. No alpine skier other than Shiffrin, Vonn and Stenmark has recorded even 70 wins.

Shiffrin tied the women’s record in just 233 races across 13 seasons. Vonn, who struggled with injuries in the latter half of the career and retired in 2019, reached the 82-win mark in 395 races.

“[Mikaela] is the best skier that has ever lived in my eyes,” Vonn told a German newspaper earlier this year.

Her versatility in particular stands out. Shiffrin is the only athlete to win a race in each of the six World Cup skiing disciplines (downhill, super-G, slalom, giant slalom, combined and parallel). She excels in the slalom, with 51 wins, the most of any skier in one discipline.

Mikaela Shiffrin has matched Lindsey Vonn’s women’s World Cup skiing record, recording win No. 82 on Sunday in the giant slalom.

Shiffrin can now break the mark on Tuesday in Austria.

“I was so nervous this run. I have a rash on my face I was so nervous,” Shiffrin said. “I don’t know why, maybe a little bit was because of 82. I just really wanted to ski well, and I did.”

Vonn struggled with injuries in the latter half of the career, and it took her 395 races to achieve the feat. Shiffrin, meanwhile, has met the record in just 233 races.

“It was a fight. But it was pretty amazing conditions and I got a report from the coaches and they were like, ‘It’s really attackable, so just go for it,'” she continued. “I’ve been in this position before and I’ve given it away and today I wanted to fight for it.”

It was also her 17th win in the giant slalom, putting her second on the women’s career list behind Vreni Schneider, a Swiss skier who won 20 races in the event.

The win was her eighth of the season, and brings her closer to male skier Ingemar Stenmark’s overall record of 86 victories.

Mikaela Shiffrin is just one away from tying Lindsey Vonn’s record for World Cup wins after she claimed victory in the first World Cup race of 2023.

With her first-place finish in Wednesday’s slalom in Zagreb, Croatia, the 27-year-old American skier notched her fifth straight win and the 81st of her career.

“I skied better than I probably ever have,” she said.

Fellow American Vonn set the women’s record with 82 World Cup wins before her retirement in 2019. Shiffrin also is chasing the overall record of 86 wins, set by Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark before his retirement in 1989. No other alpine skier has recorded even 70 wins.

Shiffrin’s streak includes wins in three different events: two each in giant slalom and slalom and one in super-G. Just two women have won more races in a row, per the Guardian: Switzerland’s Vreni Schneider, who won eight in 1988-89, and Germany’s Katja Seizinger, who won six in 1997.

While another slalom race scheduled for Thursday in Zagreb was canceled due to weather conditions, she could continue her run and grab Vonn’s record in two giant slalom races this Saturday and Sunday in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.

Saturday’s first run is set to begin at 3:30 a.m. ET, and the second run is set for 6:30 a.m. ET. Sunday’s runs will start at the same times. All the runs will be streamed on skiandsnowboard.live.

As Shiffrin bears down on the record, Vonn is cheering her effort.

“[Mikaela] is the best skier that has ever lived in my eyes,” Vonn told a German newspaper. “She will break my record of World Cup wins very quickly and will become the greatest skier in history.”