Michael Phelps Needs More Than Gold Medals To Become A Marketing Success

AHN - USA - Anne Lu - Celebrity News Service News Writer
Beijing, China (CNS) - Sure, he is the star of the show now, but will Michael Phelps still be famous after this ends? Experts think his marketability is as fleeting as the Olympics itself.

Phelps conquered the Olympics with numerous gold medals, making him the most decorated Olympian ever to hit the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. While he is undoubtedly a big Olympic star now, he may still not be lucrative enough to swim on the sports marketing pool.

Marketing experts doubt that the 23-year-old power swimmer can hold the public's interest longer than the Olympics season. Since he is only visible every four years during the multi-sports event, sports fans may revert their interests to their normal sports activity like basketball and football after just a week or so.

Nevertheless, if he proves to be as powerful as his underwater strokes, he can still boost his after-Olympics visibility by becoming a major celebrity.