CC is the brand.
It's like the Bulls saying "the team is the brand, not Michael Jordan" (funny because that is pretty much how it happened at the end)
That was poor vision on Bulls’ management.
Ruth was the Yankee brand. In Ruth’s last season, they had Lou Gehrig and Lefty Gomez. In Gomez’s last year, they had Dimaggio. In Dimaggio’s last year, Mickey Mantle.