Highlights

  • Alisha Lehmann's sponsorship by Prime energy drink not only diversifies their lineup but also taps into her massive social media following.
  • Prime's sponsorship of Lehmann adds legitimacy to the drink, despite its controversial reputation and banning in certain countries.
  • The association of athletes like Lehmann, Haaland, Volkanovski, and Adesanya with Prime is likely motivated by money and the opportunity to increase their own profiles.

Alisha Lehmann has become the first female athlete to be sponsored by KSI and Logan Paul's energy drink Prime. In a video posted to the drink's TikTok account, they presented the Aston Villa forward with a Prime chain and a signing bonus in what appeared to be a mixture of 100 dollar bills and 100 euro notes.

The sponsorship of Lehmann is a no-brainer as it diversifies their lineup, which includes Manchester City forward Erling Haaland and UFC fighters Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanovski, and allows them to tap into Alisha Lehmann's huge social media following that includes 15m followers on Instagram and 9.7m followers on TikTok.

The drink has also sponsored Timmy Hill in NASCAR and has an official partnership with the UFC. They are also sponsors for Premier League giants Arsenal and Spanish champions FC Barcelona. It's safe to say they are doing pretty damn well on the sponsorship front.

Alisha Lehmann joins Prime

Lehmann joined her current club Aston Villa at the start of the 2021/22 season and was a key part in the side that finished a strong fifth in the Women's Super League and reached the FA Cup semi-final, where they eventually fell to a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea after knocking out Manchester City and Lehmann's former club West Ham on the way there. She also represented Switzerland in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia.

Aston Villa's Alisha Lehmann.

After joining West Ham, she began to quickly amass a huge following and is now the most-followed female footballer in the world on Instagram. She has leaned into this and has spread her following to a huge TikTok account.

The sponsorship of Lehmann adds another level of legitimacy to a drink that has been shrouded in controversy. The drink's release was followed by scenes of chaos at shops such as ASDA and Aldi as young fans of KSI and Logan Paul rushed to get the drink with it even appearing on eBay for prices upwards of £400.

Mary McCarthy of the Independent commented on the way it was marketed stating that "cold, calculating big business" was working with individuals whose attitude towards women was questionable, and whose output was often misogynistic, aimed at boys "waiting to be told what to think."

Video: Alisha Lehmann given gifts after signing with Prime

The energy drink version is also banned in a number of countries due to its incredibly high caffeine content, and in Australia, it contains a disclaimer that reads "is not suitable for children under the age of 15, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and should only be used under medical or dietetic supervision."

You would question then why people such as Lehmann, Haaland, Volkanovski, and Adesanya would want to associate themselves with such controversial people, and why they would want to associate themselves with a product that is incredibly controversial (it's money, it's most likely money).

Ultimately, however, this is another big name added to a roster of big names, and will only serve to increase the profile of a drink that is known worldwide.