Do Olympians Need Gold to Hit Paydirt?

The answer is a cynical no, according to this awesome piece by sportswriter David Hyde.

In his column in Saturday's South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Hyde savages the decision to put Michelle Kwan on the team ahead of the apparently stronger contender, Emily Hughes, allegedly on the basis of the almighty dollar. (Kwan announced her withdrawal from the games yesterday; Hughes will now take her place).

Although I'm inclined to agree with Hyde's cynicism about Kwan's selling power as her ticket onto the team, he offers this marketing insight:

"[Kwan] doesn't need to win to sell a product. Here, in America, it's not always about winning in the fringe sports. It's about name branding.

Ask Anna Kournikova, the self-marketed tennis babe who never won. Ask Michelle Wie, at 16, golfing to big TV ratings with the men even though she hasn't beaten any women."

One product Kwan will likely not sell: Wheaties. Gotta grab gold to shill the Breakfast of Champions. Read the Forbes.com story on that one here.