[SirJohnBarleycorn]

Indeed, I wonder if his endorsement power, at least for brands like Nike, would in fact have been HIGHER if he had cultivated an image as a bachelor golf stud, rather than as a boring family man. When it comes to celebrities young people these days seem to look up more to the playboy mentality than to the responsible family person mentality.

[OldDeckHand]

"Indeed, I wonder if his endorsement power, at least for brands like Nike, would in fact have been HIGHER if he had cultivated an image as a bachelor golf stud, rather than as a boring family man."

NIKE & Gatorade yes, then rest of them, probably not. Accenture, Tag Heuer, Buick all cater to older and more educated & affluent consumer - all people who are much more likely to be married with children.

LeBron makes a fortune from NIKE, but not a lot from anyone other single endorser. It's interesting that last year, Tiger was #1 with endorsements and Phil Mickelson was #2. LeBron was 3rd amongst all other athletes - which considering his $120 million NIKE contract, isn't surprising.