Brock Lesnar and the 50 Most Marketable Athletes in the World
Brock Lesnar is the face of the UFC. Lesnar, the former heavyweight champ, looked the part until Cain Velasquez mopped the floor with him at UFC 121, but Lesnar is still undoubtedly the most well-known and marketable fighter the MMA league has.
But where does Lesnar rank among all of sports' most marketable stars? Can he even crack the top 50?
We're bringing you the top 50 most marketable stars in the sports world, graded on four criteria.
Box Office Draw: Does this player's presence put fans in seats?
Likability: Can fans relate to the person? Are they well liked?
Ad Potential: Is this person usable for ads? Are they good in commercials, or stiff?
Pop Culture Status: Are they a pop-culture magnet? Do they struggle to register a blip on the radar?
50. Chuck Liddell
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Box Office: 6/10. Liddell used to be the biggest name in UFC, but his star has faded considerably in the MMA circuit. He's still a star, but not the megastar he used to be.
Likability: 5/10. For a guy who beats people up for a living, that's pretty good.
Ad Potential: 5/10. Liddell's done a good job in past ad campaigns, but he doesn't get many offers anymore.
Pop Culture: 8/10. Liddell has made cameos on TV and in movies, and he's becoming the Hollywood face for the UFC.
49. Michael Phelps
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Box Office: 10/10. The only swimmer people would pay to watch outside of the Olympics.
Likability: 6/10. Phelps is likeable, but he's kind of awkward.
Ad Potential: 6/10. Phelps has been a spokesman for a while now, so he knows what he's doing. He's just awkward while doing it.
Pop Culture: 4/10. Phelps is a pop culture icon once every four years or so.
48. Tony Romo
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Box Office: 5/10. Romo's no bigger box office draw than most NFL quarterbacks.
Likability: 5/10. Hard to like a guy who dumps Jessica Simpson like that.
Ad Potential: 7/10. As the quarterback of "America's Team" Romo can generate a boost in sales.
Pop Culture: 8/10. With his dating habits, Romo's become a tabloid regular.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
47. Jeff Gordon
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Box Office: 7/10. Gordon's got a significant fan base out in racing land.
Likability: 7/10. For everyone who's a Jeff Gordon fan, you'll find someone else who doesn't like him at all.
Ad Potential: 5/10. Gordon used to be an ad regular, but the offers have been slightly less scant than wins in recent years.
Pop Culture: 5/10. Still on the public's mind on occasion, Gordon has faded from the halcyon days of his early career.
46. Diana Taurasi
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Box Office: 5/10. Taurasi is the biggest draw of any player in the WNBA.
Likability: 8/10. Diana seems likable enough, and she's been candid since her days at UConn.
Ad Potential: 6/10. Taurasi is the most recognizable WNBA player, so when ad opportunities come, they come to her.
Pop Culture: 4/10. Considering the WNBA barely registers a blip on the pop culture radar, a four is pretty good.
45. Joe Mauer
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Box Office: 10/10. It's not every day you get to see one of the best catchers in all of baseball play.
Likability: 9/10. How can you not like Joe Mauer?
Ad Potential: 4/10. If Mauer wanted, he could be a megastar. But he's content to be the best active catcher in baseball.
Pop Culture: 2/10. Mauer avoids the spotlight, and is a humble guy, two traits not associated with pop culture.
44. Michael Strahan
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Box Office: 3/10. Would you pay to see Michael Strahan play? Me either.
Likability: 7/10. Strahan seems like a fun guy to hang around with.
Ad Potential: 8/10. Strahan's ad career took off since he left football, and he's one of the best pitchmen in the business.
Pop Culture: 7/10. Strahan's a regular on TV, and in the headlines.
43. Chad Ochocinco
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Box Office: 4/10. Ocho's not the reason fans are coming to football games.
Likability: 6/10. Chad's antics are all in fun, but some around football frown on them.
Ad Potential: 7.5/10. Ocho's a great pitchman, extremely enthusiastic, and has enough star power to boost sales.
Pop Culture: 8/10. This is where Ochocinco shines: the pop culture world. He's the master of his domain here, making headlines regularly.
42. Jimmie Johnson
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Box Office: 9/10. When you win four titles in a row, people start to come watch you race.
Likability: 6/10. Much like Jeff Gordon, there are an equal number of JJ haters to JJ lovers.
Ad Potential: 7.5/10. Johnson's done ads, and they've typically been pretty funny ones, at that.
Pop Culture: 6.5/10. Jimmie's pop culture standing has gotten a boost with each title he's won.
41. Drew Brees
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Box Office: 7.5/10. Brees is a big draw, but not in the way some of the players higher up on the list are.
Likability: 10/10. Brees' comeback story is pretty fantastic, and he's almost impossible to dislike.
Ad Potential: 4/10. Brees doesn't do many ads.
Pop Culture: 6/10. Drew's become a pop culture figure since the Super Bowl victory, but the luster has faded somewhat since then.
40. Natalie Gulbis
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Box Office: 6.5/10. Gulbis draws some, but not too many.
Likability: 6.5/10. I know lots of guys who know Gulbis well.
Ad Potential: 9/10. Natalie's got plenty of assets that advertisers look for.
Pop Culture: 8/10. Natalie has become a bit of a pop culture icon with her Maxim spreads and infamous stretching routines.
39. Steve Nash
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Box Office: 10/10. Nash is a one-of-a-kind player, who can fill seats with the NBA's best.
Likability: 9/10. He's Canadian! How can you not like him?
Ad Potential: 4/10. Nash doesn't do too many ads, and he's not a big figure in the marketing world.
Pop Culture: 6.5/10. His PC status isn't as high as some, but for a pass-first guard, that's pretty good.
38. Gina Carano
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Box Office: 5.5/10. Carano puts fans in seats, but she can only do so much for women's MMA.
Likability: 7/10. Carano's well liked, but she does knock people unconscious for a living.
Ad Potential: 9/10. Gina Carano has been in numerous ads and ad campaigns
Pop Culture: 5/10. Her PC status has been gaining steam, but stalled out when she lost her first fight.
37. Reggie Bush
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Box Office: 5/10. Bush is old news in the NFL, and he's not a must see player, by any stretch.
Likability: 8/10. Bush seems like a great guy, although he takes a hit for the whole "Taking money from agents" issue.
Ad Potential: 8/10. Bush is a famous face, and he's one people like to see. So he's a logical candidate for plenty of exposure.
Pop Culture: 7.5 out of 10. Bush is milking his former relationship with Kim Kardashian for all he can, but his 15 minutes of pop culture fame should be up soon.
36. Ray Lewis
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Box Office: 5.5/10. Lewis isn't the main event anymore, he's more of a sideshow.
Likability: 6.5/10. Lewis has managed to reinvent himself in recent seasons, and his likability has gone up as a result.
Ad Potential: 8/10. Ask Old Spice how they like Ray Lewis as a spokesman.
Pop Culture: 7/10. Lewis has been making the rounds quite well in pop culture circles, with his fiery personality bringing plenty of publicity to himself.
35. Serena Williams
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Box Office: 10/10. Williams is undoubtedly one of the WTA's biggest draws, filling seats whenever she plays.
Likability: 7/10. Serena's got a bit of a reputation as a diva, and it manifested itself last year in the U.S. Open, which turned a lot of people off.
Ad Potential: 8/10. She does a good job in the ads she does, and it seems like she enjoys making commercials.
Pop Culture: 8/10. Serena has her fingers in plenty of different pies around the pop culture world, so she pops up every once in a while.
34. Charles Barkley
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Box Office: 2/10. Chuck would get 10 people to come to games if he came out of retirement. Only 10.
Likability: 8/10. Sir Charles has turned into a lovable goofball on his TNT shows, and is more liked now than he was playing.
Ad Potential: 10/10. When it comes to commercials, Chuck doesn't mess around.
Pop Culture: 7/10. Barkley's gained a sort of cult following in non-NBA circles, with his colorful dialogues and clever comments.
33. Tony Stewart
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Box Office: 8/10. Stewart's got an extremely devoted fan base at almost every NASCAR track, it seems.
Likability: 9/10. Temper aside, there's not a more likable guy in all of NASCAR than Stewart.
Ad Potential: 9/10. Smoke makes the best commercials of any NASCAR driver.
Pop Culture: 5.5/10. Tony's not too big in the pop culture world, although he does appear there on occasion.
32. Brock Lesnar
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Box Office: 10/10. Brock brings in big bucks like no one else in UFC.
Likability: 1/10. It's hard to relate to a guy built like a mountain if he never talks.
Ad Potential: 3/10. Brock rarely does ads, but he's never said he won't.
Pop Culture: 6.5/10. Lesnar is a cult figure, with his massive build and incredible punching force.
31. Brett Favre
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Box Office: 3/10. If everyone's seen you play before, why would they want to see you play when you're old and broken?
Likability: 6/10. Favre was one of the more likable figures in the NFL, till the Sterger allegations broke.
Ad Potential: 5/10. Like his likability, Favre's ad possibilities took a hit when Sterger's pictures surfaced.
Pop Culture: 9/10. Favre is all over the place in pop culture, and with the media giving him love all the time, it's no wonder he's still popular.
30. Landon Donovan
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Box Office: 5/10. Donovan's drawing power is nil overseas, but fantastic here, so we'll split the difference.
Likability: 5/10. Occasionally comes off whiny, but overall, fairly likable.
Ad Potential: 7.5/10. Donovan's one of the best pitch men in all of American soccer.
Pop Culture: 7.5/10. Landon's World Cup heroics this year gave him a big boost outside of soccer circles.
29. Alex Rodriguez
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Box Office: 7/10. A-Rod is one of the best players in baseball history. Obviously he's going to draw a bit of a crowd.
Likability: 3/10. For whatever reason, many people can't stand Rodriguez. The rest just put up with him.
Ad Potential: 7/10. Rodriguez still has plenty of advertising clout, but he's not flexing it like he used to.
Pop Culture: 8/10. With A-Rod trying to catch Derek Jeter in the "celebrities slept with" race, he's a frequenter of the tabloid pages.
28. Ronaldinho
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Box Office: 8/10. With his style of play, Ronaldinho's a lock to get people to come to games, even when his team's struggling.
Likability: 7/10. The Brazilian seems to really enjoy playing soccer, although he can irk people with his lack of effort on occasion.
Ad Potential: 6.5/10. Not nearly as high as it was during his prime Ronaldinho's not doing many ads anymore.
Pop Culture: 7/10. He's still one of the soccer players Americans are aware of, even if he's past his prime.
27. Kevin Garnett
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Box Office: 7/10. Garnett can still put some fans in the stands, but not like he used to.
Likability: 7/10. Fairly likable, but a little intense at times.
Ad Potential: 7.5/10. Garnett's ads have always been excellent, and he's been good in them.
Pop Culture: 8/10. Garnett is still a pop culture magnet, appearing at social functions and parties regularly.
26. Chris Paul
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Box Office: 9/10. Paul's one of the most exciting players in the NBA; he fills seats with the best.
Likability: 7/10. The whole trade demand issue has taken a toll on Chris Paul's likability.
Ad Potential: 8/10. Paul's still a big ticket spokesman in the NBA, but the injuries last season cost him some of his potential here.
Pop Culture: 6/10. Chris Paul has fallen out of the pop culture circle, to an extent. He'll need to get back to business to get back in.
25. Alex Ovechkin
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Box Office: 10/10. As one of the best players in the NHL, Ovie knows how to fill an arena.
Likability: 8/10. His over-the-top goal celebrations might rub some people wrong, but most love Alex's antics.
Ad Potential: 5/10. Ovie's not big on doing the ads like his counterpart in Pittsburgh.
Pop Culture: 7/10. Alex's travels to Turkey in the offseason have been well documented in the pop culture centers of the media.
24. Rafael Nadal
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Box Office: 10/10. Will Rafa fill a stadium? Si.
Likability: 7/10. He seems nice enough, but his brash style can irritate some tennis old-timers.
Ad Potential: 5/10. How can he be in ads when he sounds like a less profane Ozzie Guillen?
Pop Culture: 7/10. Rafa's a bit of a ladykiller with his arms and hair, and that keeps him in the popular concsiousness.
23. Sidney Crosby
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Box Office: 10/10. Crosby's one of the NHL's most talented, dynamic players, a once-in-a-generation talent who fills every arena he visits.
Likability: 6/10. Sid the Kid is viewed as a whiner by many hockey fans around the country.
Ad Potential: 8/10. A guy with Sidney's looks, personality and leadership skills makes a fantastic spokesman.
Pop Culture: 6/10. Crosby's avoided the tabloids, but he's still very much ingrained in the popular culture of the U.S. and Canada.
22. Tiger Woods
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Box Office: 10/10. Affairs or no, Tiger still knows how to make people care about golf.
Likability: 3/10. When you cheat on your Swedish model wife, people tend not to like you much.
Ad Potential: 5/10. Woods can still get it done when opportunities present themselves, they just don't present themselves much anymore.
Pop Culture: 7/10. Woods is still capable of drawing headlines for his play, just as much as his off-course activities.
21. Shaquille O'Neal
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Box Office: 6/10. Shaq isn't nearly the force of nature he used to be, and he's nowhere near top draw at any NBA game anymore.
Likability: 9/10. The Big Aristotle is one of the most well-liked players in basketball.
Ad Potential: 9/10. Shaq's a great pitchman, and he's proven it time and time again.
Pop Culture: 8/10. "Shaq Vs.", anyone? He's still got the public's attention.
20. Kevin Durant
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Box Office: 10/10. The most unique talent in the NBA, Durant is a can't-miss when he comes to town.
Likability: 9/10. Kevin's one of the most well-respected players in the NBA right now.
Ad Potential: 6/10. For being so spectacular, the big ad campaigns haven't come yet.
Pop Culture: 7.5/10. Durant gained notoriety leading Team USA to the FIBA World title this summer, and he's gaining steam as the NBA's best player.
19. Dwight Howard
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Box Office: 9/10. Howard has to be seen to be believed. He's a complete physical freak.
Likability: 9/10. With that infectious smile, how can you not like Dwight?
Ad Potential: 8/10. Howard's clever, funny and smart. In short, he's the perfect spokesman.
Pop Culture: 8/10. Dwight's a regular on the Orlando club scene, and his jovial demeanor makes him a popular player.
18. Danica Patrick
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Box Office: 6.5/10. Danica's no bigger of a draw in NASCAR than, say, Kasey Kahne.
Likability: 7/10. It's tough not to pull for Danica to win, even with her occasional diva antics.
Ad Potential: 9/10. As an attractive female driver, sponsors are falling over themselves to get Patrick to be in their commercials.
Pop Culture: 8.5/10. As the best female racer in history, Patrick's always floating around in the public eye.
17. Manny Pacquiao
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Box Office: 10/10. Pacquiao's the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, I think he can fill an arena.
Likability: 8/10. Pac-Man's got a great nickname, a kind demeanor, and is trusted enough to be a politician.
Ad Potential: 8/10. Manny's advertising gold outside of the U.S., particularly in Asia.
Pop Culture: 9/10. Manny is one of the most well-liked boxers of all time, and each of his fights is a huge deal, even in mainstream media.
16. Roger Federer
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Box Office: 10/10. There's still no bigger name in tennis than Roger Federer.
Likability: 10/10. You won't meet a nicer, more unassuming guy than Fed.
Ad Potential: 8/10. He doesn't have great presence on camera, but his name is more than enough.
Pop Culture: 8/10. Ask anyone to name two men's tennis players, and odds are good one will be Roger.
15. Michael Schumacher
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Box Office: 10/10. Sure, he's 41. But when you're the most dominant Formula 1 racer ever, you still draw a crowd at 41.
Likability: 7/10. Schu's likable enough, but you don't have to be when you dominate like he did.
Ad Potential: 9/10. Michael still has the midas touch with sponsorships.
Pop Culture: 9/10. When people in the U.S. know you, and you're a Formula 1 racer, that says a ton about your popularity.
14. Ichiro
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Box Office: 8/10. The novelty has worn off a bit, but he's still so much fun to watch.
Likability: 4/10. We'd like him more if he actually spoke every once in a while.
Ad Potential: 9/10. Ichiro doesn't do much in the States, but in Japan, he's like Michael Jordan.
Pop Culture: 10/10. When a country treats you almost as deity, you've hit the pinnacle of pop culture status.
13. Wayne Rooney
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Box Office: 10/10. Wayne's one of those talents people have to see when he's in town.
Likability: 4/10. That whole "cheating on his pregnant wife" thing sure killed this stat, didn't it?
Ad Potential: 9/10. Rooney's gold in England, and he's making a pretty strong move into the American market, too.
Pop Culture: 8/10. For a guy named Wayne, Rooney's sure in the popular consciousness a lot.
12. Kobe Bryant
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Box Office: 10/10. Can't miss him, and you'd better hurry, because he's nearing the end of his prime.
Likability: 5/10. This is the highest it's been since before the accusations in Colorado.
Ad Potential: 9/10. Kobe makes for a powerful spokesman. Not quite Jordan, but still pretty darned good.
Pop Culture: 9/10. Bryant has been a pop culture icon since the early 2000's, and we're still in love with him.
11. Yao Ming
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Box Office: 10/10. When the entire nation of China is pulling for you, your box office influence is pretty strong.
Likability: 9/10. Ming's public persona seems like a big kid, just having fun with playing basketball.
Ad Potential: 10/10. See box office for explanation.
Pop Culture: 7/10. Ming's not the pop culture force he was before he started getting hurt, but if he's back he could get there again.
10. Tom Brady
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Box Office: 9/10. Brady's one of the NFL's premier players, and he's also one that everyone loves to watch play.
Likability: 8/10. Loses points for taking Gisele Bundchen off the market.
Ad Potential: 10/10. Brady's handsome, and he's often used in ad campaigns not relating to football in the slightest. He's also done some modeling.
Pop Culture: 10/10. Brady's pop culture icon status is a big part of his public persona. He's the epitome of cool when the cameras are running.
9. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
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Box Office: 10/10. Earnhardt is the most popular racer in all of NASCAR. He's beloved by millions of people. So, when he comes to their neighborhood for a race, they all show up.
Likability: 10/10. Junior has won zero Sprint Cup championships, but is still the most popular racer on the circuit. How's that for likable?
Ad Potential: 10/10. Junior is the ideal pitchman from NASCAR: he's got that southern charm, with just a hint of edge mixed in.
Pop Culture: 7/10. Junior's been off the pop culture radar, to an extent, but when you're this popular, you're never far from the spotlight.
8. Dwayne Wade
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Box Office: 10/10. Wade's the driving force behind an entire NBA team, and has been since his rookie season. Seeing that's worth the price of admission.
Likability: 9/10. Wade seems like a genuinely good guy, who loves playing basketball.
Ad Potential: 10/10. Pair him with Barkley and you've got an unstoppable force of commercial might.
Pop Culture: 9/10. Wade's dating Gabrielle Union, which shows us that he's definitely a part of the popular culture. Need more proof? Look at how many people have his jersey, shoes, or anything else affiliated with him.
7. Maria Sharapova
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Box Office: 8/10. Maria's not the biggest name on tour, but she can see it from where she is.
Likability: 8/10. Another athlete that just seems to love playing their sport.
Ad Potential: 10/10. She's pretty, smart, funny and relatable. What's not to like as an ad exec?
Pop Culture: 10/10. Another one of those tennis player/models, but this one can actually play tennis.
6. Derek Jeter
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Box Office: 10/10. Who doesn't want to see the Yankee Captain play?
Likability: 10/10. A class act; he's easily the most respected and loved player in baseball.
Ad Potential: 8/10. Jeter doesn't do many endorsements, but he's still an incredibly valuable commodity.
Pop Culture: 9/10. When you're engaged to Minka Kelly, you tend to be a pop culture staple.
5. David Beckham
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Box Office: 10/10. So what if he's washed up? His name alone is enough to fill entire stadiums in the U.S.
Likability: 7/10. A little pretentious, but otherwise seems like a genuinely good guy.
Ad Potential: 10/10. Becks might be a little past his prime, but his face is still retail gold around the world.
Pop Culture: 10/10. Becks is a bigger pop culture star than a soccer one, at this point in his career.
4. Cristiano Ronaldo
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Box Office: 10/10. Aside from the name, Ronaldo's a sublime footballing talent, one who has to be seen in his element to be believed.
Likability: 7/10. If he wasn't such a whiner, he'd get a 10.
Ad Potential: 10/10. He's the new David Beckham: model looks, talent coming out his ears, worshipped by fans. He's every advertiser's dream come true.
Pop Culture: 10/10. With the way Ronaldo's plowing through starlets and models, he's a pop culture staple in the rest of the world.
3. Michael Jordan
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Box Office: 9/10. Admit it; if MJ announced another comeback, you'd still go see him play, even though he's pushing 50.
Likability: 8/10. Jordan's one of the NBA's most respected icons; he's also feared more than he's liked.
Ad Potential: 10/10. So what if he's retired? The once and future king of the NBA has more clout than 98% of the NBA put together.
Pop Culture: 10/10. Still a legend.
2. Peyton Manning
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Box Office: 10/10. Manning's genius at the line of scrimmage has to be witnessed in person to be appreciated. It's like watching Da Vinci sculpt.
Likability: 9/10. Peyton just seems like a good guy, fun to hang out with, and his self-depricating sense of humor makes him a definite fan favorite.
Ad Potential: 10/10. In terms of selling power, there are few athletes who can hope to compete with Peyton.
Pop Culture: 10/10. He's hilarious on SNL, his commercials are great, and he's one of the NFL's most popular players.
1. LeBron James
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Box Office: 10/10. He's still the chosen one.
Likability: 9/10. "The Decision" aside, James is definitely one of the NBA's most liked players.
Ad Potential: 10/10. The Jordan of our generation, LeBron can define a company's performance with his endorsement.
Pop Culture: 10/10. If he wasn't a pop culture icon, would he have had that nationally televised announcement that he was going to Miami?
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
