Michael Phelps’ quest to become the first Olympian to win eight gold medals in a single Summer Games may make him the most recognized U.S. Olympic athlete, but 41-year-old swimmer Dara Torres could become the Beijing Olympics’ most marketable competitor, according to a study conducted for SportsBusiness Journal by the Davie-Brown Index.

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The rankings were based on surveys completed by 1,000 randomly selected panelists (from DBI’s online panel of 4.5 million consumers) who were asked to evaluate a select number of the more than 1,800 public figures in the database. Panelists were shown a celebrity’s photo and name and asked if they recognize that person. Panelists were then asked to rate that celebrity along seven other attributes — appeal, breakthrough, endorsement, trend-setter, influence, trust and aspiration/goals — on a scale of one to six. (Four select attributes are included below.) To read: 33 percent of respondents recognized Phelps by name and face. Phelps scored a 77.2 in the “Appeal,” or likability, attribute. That number is not a percentage, but a weighted score based on how the respondents rated the swimmer in that specific attribute. All data is from weekly polls taken from June through July.

Forty-six percent of respondents recognized gymnast Paul Hamm, the highest score of all current Olympians. Hamm’s announcement that he would not compete in Beijing came after the conclusion of the study. Torres’ “Endorsement” score is on par with higher profile athletes such as LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

Davie-Brown Index for select U.S. Olympians
Athlete                    Awareness    Appeal    Breakthrough    Endorsement
Michael Phelps           33.0%          77.2             59.0                 63.2
Dara Torres               23.8%          81.0             68.6                 71.7
Amanda Beard           28.8%          74.4             54.1                 59.3
Jennie Finch               20.9%          77.8             62.1                 65.9
Natalie Coughlin         14.2%          74.3             60.1                 62.0
Katie Hoff                  14.0%          75.1             56.8                 59.0
Kerri Walsh                12.7%          77.3             58.0                 62.0
Shawn Johnson           11.5%          79.8             61.7                 68.6
Nastia Liukin               10.3%         75.3              58.0                64.3
Mark/Diana Lopez         9.6%          74.4             56.6                 61.8
Tyson Gay                   8.7%          70.9              57.4                 62.4
Ian Crocker                  7.8%         73.7              56.4                 57.2
Allyson Felix                 6.1%         73.7              57.7                 63.2
Jeremy Wariner            5.8%          76.5             63.0                 65.5
Eric Shanteau               4.4%          75.4              61.3                63.7
Sanya Richards             3.0%          71.5              55.3                58.3
Donny Robinson            2.7%          75.8              62.3                67.1

Davie-Brown Index for select USA Basketball men’s squad
Athlete                      Awareness    Appeal    Breakthrough    Endorsement
Kobe Bryant                91.4%          59.4           50.6             58.9
LeBron James              63.9%          75.3           61.9             71.8
Dwyane Wade             43.5%          78.0           63.2             71.1
Dwight Howard            27.6%          76.6           59.1             65.3
Jason Kidd                  26.5%          70.8           62.6             67.6
Carmelo Anthony         22.8%          68.8           62.5             70.8
Chris Paul                   22.0%          78.2           61.2             66.5

Awareness: Percentage of respondents who are aware of the celebrity by name or face
Appeal: Likability
Breakthrough: Fans take notice when the celebrity appears in the media
Endorsement: Celebrity is an effective spokesperson.

Source: Davie Brown Index