Love them or hate them, sports stars love their bling

The sports industry is massive, and where sports stars go their money tends to follow. Billions of dollars is spent each year by the world’s sporting superstars on everything from furniture to Fois Gras. Basketball, soccer and baseball stars all have one thing in common: luxury is the only way to go.

The Beckham family has always had a sense of class.

The sporting elite live in the world’s most desirable locations and drive the world’s most desirable automobiles, arguably living the world’s most desirable lifestyle. It’s common for these sporting sensations to be wearing designer clothes that are draped in modern jewellery, although antique watches are often found in Sydney and elsewhere.

The cars

Whether it’s David Beckham or Tiger Woods, one can expect a great deal of the successful sportsperson’s salary to be focused on his or her choice of car. Fast, exotic rides like Ferraris, Lamborghinis and even Aston Martins are very popular, with their beautiful looks and high performance allowing the driver to travel in style. Super-luxury cars are also a common choice for the modern sportsperson, as exclusivity is maintained while allowing the athlete to travel in utmost comfort.

Mario Balotelli’s camouflage car.

More recently, sportspeople are choosing to modify their cars with a more Art Deco or Art Nouveau interior. Whether in Sydney or San Francisco, you’re bound to find a sports star driving a fancy car somewhere.

The houses

If the rich and famous sports people of the world are renowned for one thing other than their sporting prowess, it’s likely to be their choice of home. It’s not unusual to see England’s premiership football players living in multi-million pound properties and the same goes for those competing in the USA’s NBA or NFL. Houses are often the most expensive thing people own and sports stars are no exception. However, while the average person might be contemplating a conservatory or bigger garden, it’s not hard to imagine a sports star thinking of dedicating a room to antique clocks or vintage jewellery.

When we visualise a sporting hero’s luxury pad, we tend to think of gigantic swimming pools, multi-car garages and bathrooms big enough to play baseball in. While this is hardly feasible for the normal person, successful sports stars can easily get paid millions of dollars a year. If anybody can afford to live with a collection of retro jewellery in an enormous house in somewhere exclusive such as Monaco or London’s prestigious West End, it’s the sports stars of the world.

The jewellery

Cars have to be left in car parks, and according to my travel guide you can’t take your house with you as you journey around. If you’re a sports star with an eight figure bank balance, how do you ensure you’re making a statement about your wealth wherever you are? Some people wear hugely expensive earrings, rings or maybe even a bracelet. The most common option, however, is to wear beautiful, classic time pieces that reflect personality and flair. Vintage watches and jewellery are especially fashionable in 2013, with March set to see people buying retro jewellery in record numbers.

Of all of the world’s watches, the ones that carry the biggest prices are made by hand in Switzerland: Breitling, Rolex and Patek Philippe are just three of the most famous luxury timepiece brand. One of the most attractive aspects of a vintage timepiece, like vintage engagement rings, is the story behind the item.

Vintage jewellery has a specific story behind it which can be discovered by the owner, transforming a special watch or piece of jewellery into a priceless one. It’s this exclusive and expensive appeal which draws sports stars in their thousands to luxury timepieces, and for Rolex watches in Sydney in particular.

Remember Cashley Cole?

Too much money!?

The lavish lifestyle of the world famous sportsperson is routinely criticised. Some people will always make the argument that, at the heart of all of this ‘bling’, there is an athlete desperate to show off. While this may or not be the case, the world’s sports stars do it in style.

Exotic supercars, Hollywood mansions and iconic watches are all weapons in the modern sports star’s arsenal in the hunt for sponsorship and branding deals, so maybe we can’t blame them after all. Either way, world famous sporting heroes are some of the richest people in the world and love or hate their excessive spending they’re not going anywhere soon!