Do sportfluencers prefer products over cash?

By Tom Bogaert · Reviewed on
89% of surveyed sportfluencers chose products over €150 in cash for the same three posts Sunday Squad, eigen bevraging onder 44 sportfluencers, 2026

Yes — and not by a small margin. When we gave forty-four sportfluencers the choice in early 2026 between €150 in their bank account or products for the same three posts, 89% chose the products. At a lower price point (€75 cash versus €100 in products) it was 86%. And barely 5% say they would always pick cash over gear.

The figure deserves one caveat, and we'd rather make it ourselves than have someone else make it: the product options weren't bare. They came with a commission scheme, exclusive access to unreleased products, or a higher product value. So what the survey really says: once the product is right and there's something attached that money can't buy, cash loses the argument. The motivations from the same survey confirm it — "free products I'd buy anyway", "networking with other athletes" and "recognition as an athlete" all score higher than "extra income".

For a brand this doesn't mean athletes work for free — it means a well-chosen product package motivates more than the same amount in a bank transfer. What the broader market says about this is in whether creators will collaborate for product alone; what such a package should be worth in what the product package should be worth.

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Related questions

What should the value of the product package be?

High enough to feel like a real reward. No fixed price, but our sportfluencer survey points to a guideline: from around €100 a package feels like a real reward, and in practice value usually lands between €100 and €200. A discount code feels like work; a full product feels like recognition.Read why a discount code is the worst product you can give →

What does a collab with a Sunday Squad cost?

A collab with a squad of 25 starts from €2,500, a pilot with 10 from €1,500 — excl. VAT and product; the intro call is free. Included: matching, selection, logistics, final report and content rights (whitelisting separate). For the long run: a season (3 collabs) or Sunday Squad Ambassadors, tailor-mRead the full answer →

Are creators willing to collaborate for product only, without cash?

Yes: 93% of influencers will work for product alone — but on condition that they genuinely appreciate the brand (archive.com sector analysis, 2025). That clause turns product-only into a selection mechanism rather than a discount: saying yes without a fee says something about the relationship with tRead the full answer →

Does product seeding deliver more than a paid post?

Not automatically more, but something different. Across 100,000+ Instagram posts, gifted and paid collaborations achieved virtually identical average engagement: 2.01% versus 2.00%. Paid posts had a higher median: 1,765 views versus 800. Product-based collabs test fit; paid helps deploy proven reachRead the full answer →

What if a sportfluencer doesn't post (on time)?

We carry that risk. Curation up front, agreements in the briefing, follow-up during the posting window and back-ups from the same pool — plus an honest completion rate afterwards: how many of the 25 actually delivered.Read how the three layers of risk management work in practice →
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