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Michael Phelps as celebrity and sex symbol

By Michael Barnes | Monday, August 18, 2008, 09:17 AM

Now that Michael Phelps has taken care of his Olympic business, one wonders how his quantifiable celebrity will translate beyond the pool. NBC has ridden his story to ratings gold — more than 60 million watched during his climactic swims. His endorsement deals already include two 7-figure contracts, including $1 million from Speedo.

Yet will that magic endure, even as his records trump all others?

Mark Spitz, to whom Phelps is most frequently compared, was, for a while, a genuine sex symbol. Deeply tanned, sharply cut, roguishly coiffed and mustached, he competed with Farah Fawcett for most widely distributed pinup figure of the 1970s. (Guess which poster I owned?)

Phelps, on the other hand, despite his ideally formed swimming machine, can appear kinda gangling and dorky. And he’s certainly not as berry brown and dance-floor ready as his Time magazine cover shot would suggest. (I’m not going to link directly to all the discussion groups on the topic. You can find them.)

Phelps doesn’t benefit from Lance Armstrong’s survival story or Tiger Woods’ multiracial pioneer status. And he’s not nearly as worldly as either older sportsman. None of which was important in the pool.

Unlike major tennis stars, however, his TV exposure will decline immediately after the Olympics, and there’s no drumbeat of weekly games and home teams in huge markets as in baseball, basketball and football. Former Longhorn Kevin Durant — NBA rookie of the year — commanded $21 million in endorsements in his first year, according to Sports Illustrated.

Now Phelps is an undeniably nice guy. Close to his mother. Grateful for his teammates. Better spoken than many swimmers. He’s also an incredible athlete. Nothing will diminish his status as a sports deity.

But ongoing star power without a second career? Perhaps it’s best that he won’t melt — as so many have; think of Mary Lou Retton or Nadia Comeneci — under the ongoing and unflattering celebrity spotlight and he’ll remain in our memories just way he won eight golds in Beijing.

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