It’s not just a name, it’s a symbol. When a sports personality becomes a legend his mere name can make him tonnes of money. The product or service which bears that name receives the goodwill and attention which that name carries. The name eventually symbolises the special essence of the player.

The brand which comes first to mind is Jordan, for those of us who don’t even watch basketball on a regular basis the name still holds awe. We still picture those gravity defying jumps when we hear that name. Had we the money would we not want to buy those same shoes? According to Forbes Michael Jordan’s brand is worth $30 million. This figure is based on his endorsement deals with companies such as Nike, Hanesbrands and PepsiCo's Gatorade.

Tiger Woods one of the biggest names in golfing holds top spot among athletes with a brand value of $82 million according to Forbes.

The Legends of cricket:

Kapil Dev- speak the name and you get a picture of him holding up that world cup trophy. When you remember the man you also remember his voice saying “Palmolive ka Jawab nahin”; now regardless of whether he ever used Palmolive he did promote it and it did give Palmolive good brand recognition even to this day.
Sachin Tendulkar’s name and persona too have that power and they shall continue to, even after he retires. According to Mr. Venu Nair, president (South Asia), World Sport Group: “Sachin is planning a brand overhaul. We are working with him to chalk out a strategy to make sure that the sustainability curve of his brand doesn’t dip suddenly after he stops playing. We are betting on him for at least the next 10 years.”

Brian Lara- every kid who played computer games, associated cricket on computer with Brian Lara which was very popular right from 1996 when it first came out to 2006.