Episode Details

Arnold Palmer did not just win golf tournaments. He invented the concept of the athlete as brand. Before Palmer, professional athletes played sports and went home. Palmer turned charisma into endorsement deals, tournament appearances into television events, and his own name into a beverage empire. Every athlete who earns more off the field than on it is following his blueprint.

This episode traces Palmer from his working-class childhood in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, through his domination of golf in the television era and his transformation of sports marketing.

• He was the first professional golfer to earn over one million dollars in career earnings
• His partnership with agent Mark McCormack created the modern sports management industry
• The Arnold Palmer drink — half iced tea, half lemonade — became a national brand
• He is credited with popularizing golf on television and making it a mainstream spectator sport