As the world of social media continues to evolve, so does the way that brands reach out to their target audiences. In recent years, we’ve seen a shift from traditional marketing techniques to influencer marketing. Within the realm of influencer marketing, sports influencers have become some of the most popular and effective voices.
If you’re a brand looking to target a sports-loving audience, then you need to know who the top sports influencers are on Instagram. In this blog post, we provide you with 30 top sports Instagram influencers and useful ways to find them. Let’s dive right in!
How to find sports influencers to collaborate with?
Influencer marketing has grown in popularity as a means of reaching target audiences for brands as social media usage rises. But how can you find the best influencers for your company when there are so many of them?
Here are some ways to find top sports Instagram influencers:
- Use an influencer marketplace.
- Use related hashtags to find sports influencers.
- Look for influencers who are active among sports groups and forums.
- Search Google to find influencers.
- Monitor your competitors’ social media followers, mentions, and tags.
- Start following top sports blogs and bloggers.
Since manually finding influencers can be tiresome and time-consuming, most individuals prefer to use a reliable influencer marketplace like Ainfluencer to quicken and simplify this process.
Thanks to Ainfluencer, brands, and influencers can connect and collaborate with each other for free. Brands can utilize a variety of filters, including geography, gender, language, follower count, hashtags, etc., to identify their target influencers using the AI-powered search engine.
Top 35 sports influencers on Instagram
1- Mike Tyson (@miketyson)
Iron Mike is one of the greatest boxers and sports influencers in history. despite being 57 years old, he keeps training like he is going to fight tomorrow. The former world champion had fought 58 matches and won 50 of them which shows how amazing he was during his time. Mike has 25.1 million followers on Instagram.
2- Tony Thomas (@tonythomassports)
If you are looking for one of the best sports Instagram accounts, Tony Thomas Sports is all you need. Tony Thomas is a professional fitness influencer with abs of steel. Celebrity sports host Tony Thomas shows the best sports performance drills and routines professional athletes utilize to prepare for competition.
3- Paige Spiranac (@_paige.renee)
Paige Spiranac is one of the hottest female golfers and sports influencers on Instagram with more than 4M followers. She provides you with professional advice about how to get better at golfing. Moreover, she loves posting stunning photos of herself on IG.
Not only she is very active on Instagram, but you can also find her on YouTube, X (Twitter), and TikTok.
4- Adonis Harrison Jr. (@adonis.harrison)
Adonis is a proud serviceman of The United States Air Force. He has been through some of the toughest of situations in life, which has forced him to be resilient in times of true adversity.
He is also an athlete influencer who has gained 516K followers on his IG account thanks to sharing fitness functional training posts.
5- Maria Sharapova (@mariasharapova)
The former number 1 tennis player in the world, Maria Sharapova, is another top sport influencer on our list. She turned into a pro athlete in 2001 when she was just 14 years old and won 36 titles during her career. She has been a role model on and off the pitch for many young girls.
6- Tyler Relph (@tylerrelph10)
Basketball trainer and former player Tyler Relph was born in the United States on June 15, 1984. For West Virginia University and St. Bonaventure University, he played in basketball college. After his senior year at McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, New York, he was named Mr. New York Basketball.
Tyler has one of the most popular sports Instagram accounts, with 471K followers. If you are looking for one of the most popular sports influencers, he can be someone you can collaborate with.
7- Jorge Milo (@jmilobball)
Jorge is an international skill development trainer, who has worked with players at all levels. In his first year there, Jorge was named team captain while playing for the University of Maine at Machias. Jorge has a wonderful ability to display the skills required to become an excellent player and is really passionate about the game of basketball. Jorge is a genuine expert at the game.
Are you looking for one of the best sports influencers and best sports Instagram accounts to collaborate with and end up growing your brand? Then, he, with 105K followers, can be a good macro influencer to partner with.
8- Martino Savage (@thecoachsavage)
After undergoing another ACL surgery, Savage completed his degree in the spring of 2011 and continued his playing career in sports (NFL, CFL, AFL). Now, “Savage” makes the most of his abilities both on and off the field to educate young players and impart the knowledge he has gained over his playing career and through his own life experiences. “Savage” is passionate about improving the lives of Northern Virginia athletes and assisting them in achieving their maximum potential both in sports and in the classroom.
He is also one of the best micro influencers when it comes to athletic influencers. Give his IG account a follow to be one of his 69K followers.
9- Anllela Sagra (@anllela_sagra)
One of the best female fitness models on Instagram with 24M followers is Anellela Sagra. She loves spending time in the gym and taking stunning photos. There aren’t many inspirational sports influencers like her. As a professional fitness trainer, she has competed in many fitness events.
10- Brian Dabul (@brian.dabul)
Brian Dabul (born 24 February 1984) is an Argentine retired tennis player. He is a former professional player top #80 ATP and #1 ITF Juniors and has retired since 2012. He’s played against the best players in the world, including Roger Federer at US Open and Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros. He deserves to be on our list of sports influencers because he is always eager to pass on to you all his experience, exercises, and secrets to take your game to the next level.
11- Nick Hicks (@thenotoriousnikhix)
Nick, a native of south Florida and multi-sport athlete, came to love training after suffering three ACL injuries in quick succession that left him in what seemed like an eternal state of knee rehabilitation. Though his football career was cut short, his training career was born.
He jumped at the opportunity to be the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at St. This athlete influencer shares his training posts and Stories on his IG account with his 42.3K followers.
12- Katie Ormerod (@ormerodkatie)
Katie Ormerod is a professional snowboarder and Olympic athlete from Britain. She has 70K followers on Instagram and she is one of the top micro sports influencers on our list. Katie is one of the best snowboarders out there with 11 world cup medals.
13- Holly Bentley (@hollybentley_yoga)
Holly Bentley is an American yoga influencer who also posts about motherhood issues on her account. She has 125K followers and tries to inspire women, especially moms, to practice yoga and improve their physical and mental health.
14- Ayden Owens-Delerme (@aowensdelerme)
Ayden Owens is a Puerto Rican track and field athlete competing in the decathlon. He is a 2021 graduate of the University of Michigan and a current MBA candidate at the University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business.
If you are looking for one of the most well-known track and field sports influencers, Ayden may be a good one to follow.
15- Cealey Godwin (@cealeygodwin)
Cealey Godwin first gained fame after she won the TV show “Endurance: High Sierras” when she was in her early teens. She is a brilliant reporter and a sports anchor for NBC, covering a variety of matches and events, but not everyone is familiar with her as a TV series star.
As one of the micro sports influencers, she has amassed 10.4K followers on her Instagram account.
16- Sam Adekugbe (@samadekugbe)
Are you looking for top soccer influencers? Do you want to collaborate with one of the popular sports influencers to grow your brand? Then Sam Adekugbe can be one of the best options.
Sam Adekugbe is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a left-back for Vålerenga in the Norwegian Eliteserien.
17- Simeon Howard (@himeon44)
Simeon Howard is a professional basketball player, business owner, and one of the sports influencers on Instagram. He has 10.4K followers on his Instagram account, where he shares family life, training, and playing posts and Stories.
18- Jordan Lawley (@jlawbball)
Jordan Lawley is a basketball player who is famous for playing for several teams, including Mexico, America, New Zealand, UC San Diego, and many more. Currently, he is a basketball trainer who traveled around the world and helped school-level basketball players raise their level.
He is also active and famous on different social media platforms, including Instagram. He is among the famous sports influencers with 588K followers.
19- Jeff Henderson (@jeffery_henderson)
American track and field athlete Jeffrey Henderson, born on February 19, 1989, specializes in the long jump and 100-meter dash. He has a personal record of 8.52 m (27 ft 11+1⁄4 in) for the long jump by winning the 2015 Pan Am Games gold medal.
He is also a famous athlete influencer who is active on Instagram and gained 41K followers.
20- Tata Gnecco (@tata2fit)
Tata is a Colombian fitness instructor who has amassed a following of 955K people on her tata2fit Instagram account. She is one of the athletes with the most Instagram followers who have posted selfies and travel photos to her Instagram.
21- Dorian Crawford (@d.c.athletics)
Dorian Crawford is a sports performance coach who is a professional at NFL Combine Training programs. You can attack your fitness goals with this online fitness coach. He has 48.5K followers on her Instagram, where he is known as one of the sports influencers.
22- Marcus McGee (@mmcgeebball)
Marcus McGee developed a passion for basketball at a young age, participating in youth leagues and travel teams, becoming a standout high school player, and eventually playing at the college level. He was then able to follow his passion for sports as the Director of Basketball Operations for Amar’s Stoudemire Enterprises.
He has amassed 19.3K followers on his Instagram account, and it is one of the best sports Instagram accounts to help you increase your brand awareness through influencer marketing.
23- Hayley Gonzales (@haysgonza)
Famous soccer player Hayley Gonzales was born in the United States on December 1, 1994. She is also one of the well-recognized models, soccer influencers, and trainers with 54.6K followers on her Instagram account.
24- Lana Ector (@lanaector_)
Lana Ector is one of the well-known black fitness influencers and instructors from the United States. This fitness instructor and social media star is known for co-founding the Gymnetics Fitness studio in Atlanta, Georgia. Her mother and her also co-created the Ectorcise fitness challenge.
She is one of the professionals when it comes to sports influencers, so she can be one of the best fitness sponsors on Instagram to help you promote your brand.
25- Kino MacGregor (@kinoyoga)
One of the other top yoga Instagram accounts that we would like to include in our list of best sports Instagram accounts belongs to Kino MacGregor, who is an author, podcaster, and YouTuber. She has 1.1M followers, and her account is full of yoga and fitness-related content.
26- Ahmed Samir (@sultan__samir)
Samir, who was born in Egypt, participated in 295 contests while boxing for the Egyptian national team. he was formerly a professional boxer, but made the switch to mixed martial arts in order to become the first well-known professional of Egyptian heritage in the sport. Samir defeated Eric Roncoroni in a mixed martial arts match in 2017 by knocking him out 12 seconds into the first round.
As one of the professional sports influencers, Ahmed has accumulated 214K followers.
27- Josef Gotsch (@late2wrk)
Josef is a New York-born professional handball/wallball player. When he found handball, he immediately fell in love, and the rest was history. Josef has so far won the amateur category in the 2019 World Championships, finished third in the World Championships, won the Open 4 Wall Championships five times, and finished third in the 3 Wall Championship Games. In 2020, Josef will return to win the pro division.
Josef, like other athletes, has an active presence on social media platforms like Instagram and has 18.8K followers.
28- Kayla Bushey (@killabushey)
Kayla is a Track & Field Jumps athlete who has 20.5K followers on her Instagram account and shares his journey, honest motivation, and advice with all her followers. If you are looking for one of the most popular sport Instagram accounts that teach you how to unlock your potential, follow her IG account.
29- Marcus Rios (@marcusriosofficial)
Marcus Rios (born October 25, 1994) is an American football cornerback. He played college football at UCLA. He’s dedicated to helping you become the best athlete you can be.
He is one of the most well-recognized sports influencers on Instagram, with 179K followers.
30- Natalie Allport (@natalieallport)
Natalie Allport is a former snowboarder on the Canadian national team and the world tour, a talented CrossFitter, and a lifelong artist and entrepreneur. Natalie is the host of the podcast “ALL IN with Natalie Allport” and a passionate advocate for athlete mental health.
This athlete influencer has gained 102K followers on her IG account, where she shares sport-related content with them.
31- Robert Griffin (@rgiii)
Robert Lee Griffin III, also known as RG3 and RGIII, is an American football quarterback who retired in 2020 due to injuries. He was born on February 12, 1990. Griffin played college football at Baylor, where he won the Heisman Trophy as a senior, and was selected second overall by the Redskins in the 2012 NFL Draft.
He is one of the best sports influencers who gained 710K followers on his Instagram account.
32– Adriel Jeremiah Green (@ajgreene15)
Adriel Jeremiah Green, an American football wide receiver for the National Football League’s Arizona Cardinals, was born on July 31, 1988. He attended Georgia for his college football career and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals as the fourth overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Green played with them for ten seasons before joining the Arizona Cardinals.
He is active on different social media platforms, such as Instagram and YouTube. As one of the well-known sports influencers and soccer influencers, he has amassed 635K followers on her IG account and more than 540K subscribers on YouTube.
33- Troy Haines (@skyhiandflyjumplab)
Troy Haines never thought about becoming a jump coach when he was at UCLA. The kinesiology degree he graduated with was a means to further my jumping career. When his competitive career ended, coaching became a way to stay connected to his sport. He has applied his knowledge of physics and biomechanics to all aspects of athletic and jump training.
He is also an athlete influencer who is active on Instagram and has 20K followers.
34- Jordan Collins (@jcollinsperformance)
Jordan brings his extensive sports medicine knowledge to offer elite athletic performance and recovery services in either a private or team-wide setting.
As one of the active sports influencers on Instagram, he has gained 31.7K followers and shares youth-pro athlete development, motivation, mobility, recovery, and return to play content with them.
35- Travis Toivonen (@travistoivonen)
Travis Toivonen is a professional wide receiver who plays in one of the professional American football teams based in Minneapolis Minnesota Vikings. He is also one of the soccer influencers on Instagram with 49K followers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, these are the top sports Instagram influencers that you should collaborate with in 2024. They have a large following, are engaged with their audience, and post high-quality content. By working with them, you can reach a new audience and gain more exposure for your brand.
Cristiano Ronaldo tops the list with the most potential earnings for a second consecutive year, averaging $2.3 million per post compared to $1.6 million per post last year.
1- Decide on a niche and stick to it.
2- Tell people about your experiences.
3- Ensure that your posts are consistent and well-timed.
4- Select the appropriate hashtags.
5- Get in touch with companies.
