Woods leads list of most marketable in ’08

David Sweet • E-mail

All athletes worry about maximizing their performance in a career that, for many, can be heartbreakingly short.

But only a handful fret about whether they have what it takes to be the most marketable in the land.

What are the keys to entrancing corporate America? Keith Lambrecht, director of sport management programs at Loyola University Chicago, sees three crucial aspects.

"They must be the best in their game in a large-enough market, they need a good personality, and they must be a good citizen, which will become more important as the issue of performance-enhancing drugs takes the forefront across all sports," Lambrecht said.

Here are eight U.S. athletes poised to score big in endorsements in 2008:

1. Tiger Woods
Woods, whose annual endorsement income is estimated to top $100 million thanks to Nike, Buick and other successful suitors, will maintain his leading role as the top pitchman in all sports. He is becoming more appealing as he ages — the fact that he's a family man with baby Sam Alexis has humanized this once-robotic superstar. The chance that the U.S. will recover the Ryder Cup on home soil in Louisville — and that Woods may, for once, play to his potential in that tournament — is an added bonus for those looking to sign him.

2. LeBron James
James has become the must-see player in the NBA, and his poise and business acumen off the court (he even runs his own marketing company) is attractive to many firms. Expect the U.S. star to break out big in China — where a LeBron Nike sneaker was recently introduced — during the Summer Olympics, leading to international endorsement offers. Already estimated by Fortune to bring about $25 million a year from endorsements, his one drawback is playing in small-market Cleveland (and on a Cavalier team that flails without him). Yet at 23, barring injuries, he has the most marketing potential of anyone in the NBA over the next 15 years.

3. Tom Brady
Brady is in position to achieve the biggest on-field success imaginable: the first NFL perfect season in the 16-game era. A fourth Super Bowl ring and an historic 19-0 mark would send Brady's marketability soaring, past even the man who has dominated endorsements for NFL players for years, Peyton Manning. New England’s Brady, who plays in a bigger market than Manning, is part of a team that has captured America's imagination, and his good looks and humble manner appeal to consumers.

4. Peyton Manning
Manning is still the king among NFL endorsers. His commercials for MasterCard and others dominate NFL telecasts, but there is not a lot of upside left for the veteran quarterback. Capturing the Super Bowl last year boosted his marketability, but he's been playing for a decade and will likely finish his career in small-market Indianapolis without any additional titles (at least as long as Bill Belichick coaches the Patriots). Unlike some superstars, though, his appeal will follow him into retirement.

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