THE MOST MARKETABLE ATHLETES
The Sports Business Daily recently concluded a survey which asked 65 sports business and media executives to rank, in order, the five athletes they believe are the most marketable in three categories. Active, retired, and future. Points were awarded on a five-point scale, with five points for a first-place vote, four points for second place, three points for third, etc. Rankings are based on percentage of total points received.

ACTIVE HOTTIES

Tiger Woods tops the charts in both the “active and future” categories. The Daily writes: Tiger Woods is not only the most marketable active athlete for brands trying to reach North American consumers, he’ll remain in that position for the next five years. Scott White, Dir of Marketing for Callaway Golf, a competitor of Nike, a brand Woods endorsees, said, “Tiger transcends all races, income levels, ages and gender. Ten years ago everyone wanted to ‘Be Like Mike.’ Now everyone wants to be like Tiger regardless of whether they play golf.”

Following Tiger Woods, spots 2-10, respectively, go to: *Peyton Manning, Lebron James, Derek Jeter, Dwyane Wade, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tom Brady, Shaq, Maria Sharapova, and tied for 10th are Princess Kobe, Brett Favre and Sidney Crosby. *Manning has high-profile deals with Sony, Reebok, Gatorade, Sprint, MasterCard and Kraft.

Noting Lebron James’ Nike ad campaign in which he plays a variety of characters, Rocky Mountain News columnist Dave Krieger said, “If the LeBrons haven’t made a movie by then (2012), he should get another agent. They’re already funnier than Eddie Murphy’s multiple character movies.”

Shaun White made the list tied for 13th, Jeff Gordon and LaDainian Tomlinson T15, Roger Federer 17th, while Kelly Slater and Tony Hawk both ranked 18th. (Where’s our kitten Camilo Villegas?)

RETIRED HOTTIES

Retired athletes considered to be the most marketable are: Michael Jordan, Cal Ripken, Jr. Charles Barkley, Jack Nicklaus, Lance Armstrong, Muhammad Ali, Dan Marino, Wayne Gretzy, Arnold Palmer and Andre Agassi.

FUTURE HOTTIES

The top-ten beasts considered to be the most marketable in the future: Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Reggie Bush, Peyton Manning, Sidney Crosby, David Beckham, Matt Leinart, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and finally Vince Young. (Still no Villegas?) Other hotties to keep an eye on: Shawn White (12th), Brady Quinn (17th), Tony Romo (23rd), Philip Rivers and Carmelo Anthony (T29th), and Ryan Sheckler came in at 32nd, tied with Princess Kobe and Eli Manning. *Note: Love the fact that Ryan Sheckler even made the list. I predict that this very young skateboarding beast is going to be bigger than Tony Hawk. He’s got the skills, and by-god, the looks to go along with it. Only if he were just a little bit older…Just for the record, my top ten active and future beasts with the most marketing potential are: Camilo Villegas, Lewis Hamilton, Andy Roddick, Tiger Woods, David Beckham, Jose Reyes, Tom Brady, Kelly Slater, Paulo Maldini and Felipe Massa.

LEWIS HAMILTON: SHOULD HAVE MADE THE LIST

I’m willing to bet that the only reason Lewis Hamilton wasn’t named on SBJ’s list is because he is so fresh. Yesterday, Hamilton took third place in his first Formula One race at the Australian Grand Prix, and dude is so hot, that he’s already being called the ‘Black Beckham.’ This label basically translates to ‘a hot-famous-British-sports-beast’. If Hamilton were white, they’d be calling him Beckham on wheels. The comparison is due to the marketability of Hamilton, who has the potential to earn more off the track than he does on. Lets hope the young buck can handle the impending Athlebrity status and all the pressure that comes with. Hamilton, along with Fernando Alonso have captured the attention Tag Heuer and been named brand ambassadors.

NOT MARKETABLE

Smart move by Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistani cricket team captain announced his resignation after his team lost, fans burned a likeness of him, and the coach died. (See yesterday’s blog for more info)…

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda
delinda@athlebrities.com