Phelps Endorsements: Michael Phelps Conquered the Olympics,

Michael Phelps to write new book sportsillustrated.cnn.com/.../index.html I suppose that's more interesting than Phelps writing an old book! :doh: (No disrespect to Ande; that's how the article headline reads!)

great article funny story He was required to start behind the men, and swim extra laps, and different strokes, and it was his first swim since his last gold medal, and the pool was only 20 yards long. "But, hey, I wasn't going to let those four guys beat me," he said. Entering the last lap, yes, he was once again trailing. But you can probably guess what happened next. "At the last minute, I grabbed the guy's leg and pulled him back behind me," he said. "So, yeah, I won again. It was very chill." And then there is Lezak www.latimes.com/.../la-sp-plaschke31-2008aug31,0,5320058.column

And then there is Lezak www.latimes.com/.../la-sp-plaschke31-2008aug31,0,5320058.column

Excellent! www.msnbc.msn.com/.../ "The 23-year-old Maryland native now has 14 career Olympic golds overall and holds 26 world records in individual swimming events." Holds or has broken? There's a big difference! I don't see how anyone could hold 26 different world records at the same time unless it was for the 100m fly, the 100 yd fly, the 101m fly, the 101 yd fly, . . .

"The 23-year-old Maryland native now has 14 career Olympic golds overall and holds 26 world records in individual swimming events." Holds or has broken? There's a big difference! I don't see how anyone could hold 26 different world records at the same time unless it was for the 100m fly, the 100 yd fly, the 101m fly, the 101 yd fly, . . . haroldbuck: You are correct. Right now he currently holds 4 Long Course Meters World Records most recently from the 2008 Olympics. The only event he did not set a World Record in was the 100 Meter Fly. He is the current World Record holder in the 200 Free, 200 Fly, 200 IM and 400 IM. He has broken the World Record 26 times in his career in swimming 5 Long Course Meter events. He has broken the World Record in the 400 IM and lowered the time standard 8 times to the current 4:03.84 this past Olympics. He set his first WR in this event in 2002 at 4:11.09 and has swam WR times of 4:10.73, 4:09.09, 4:08.41, 4:08.26, 4:06.22, 4:05.25, and the current 4:03.84. In the 200 IM, he has broken the WR and lowered the time standard 8 times from 1:57.94 in 2003 to the current 1:54.23 this past Olympics. The 8 WR times were 1:57.94, 1:57.52, 1:56.04, 1:55.94, 1:55.84, 1:54.98, 1:54.80, and the current 1:54.23. In the 200 Fly, he has broken the WR and lowered the time standard 7 times since 2001 and those were 1:54.92, 1:54.58, 1:53.93, 1:53.80, 1:53.71, 1:52.09 and the current 1:52.03. In the 200 Free he broke the WR of Ian Thorpe of 1:44.06 with a 1:43.86 in 2007. This year he swam a 1:42.96 so he has 2 WR set in this event. In the 100 Meter Fly he broke the WR of :51.76 that was only minutes old by Andriy Serdinov at the Worlds in 2003 and in the next heat did :51.47 in that semi final. The next day in the final he swam a :51.10 and broke his old WR but lost it to Ian Crocker at :50.98 in the same heat so he did not get credit for breaking the WR. Crocker has lowered that initial WR two times at :50.76 and :50.40 so that is the lone WR in that event for Phelps. So in total that is 8, 8, 7, 2, and 1 for a total of 26. This does not include Relays and he has been a member of 6 World Record Relays with two in each event (400 Free Relay, 400 Medley Relay, and 800 Free Relay).What is interesting is that all of his World Records are in Long Course Meters and none are in Short Course Meters. Currently he holds American Records in Short Course Meters in the 200 Free and 200 Fly.

Phelps to start swimming foundation Olympian Michael Phelps announced this morning that he will put part of his $1 million bonus for tying Mark Spitz's seven gold medals into a foundation to encourage the growth of swimming.

Phelps marketing machine looks to strike gold Belinda Goldsmith 01 September 2008 A huge marketing machine behind Michael Phelps plans to make him a global brand - and even richer. BEIJING (Reuters) - Phelps Inc. has gone global. A huge marketing machine behind Michael Phelps has hit town, strategy in place to make him a global brand -- and even richer. A day after Phelps won his eighth gold medal at the Beijing Olympics making him the most successful swimmer and Olympian of all time, the corporate executives emerged from the poolside well prepared to capitalise on his new-found fame. But Phelps, 23, who was looking forward to going home to Baltimore to see his dog and hang out with his friends and family, was unfazed at being dubbed the hottest marketing tool to ever emerge from the Olympics and at his new celebrity status. "It's not about the money. I do what I do because I love it and that's why I'm here," Phelps told Reuters in an interview organised by one of his sponsors, credit card company Visa, in an ornate chamber of Beijing's 120-year-old Prince Jun Palace. "I see myself as a normal person and the same kid I was four years ago so I'm just living a dream right now." Visa, which has sponsored Phelps since 2002, said the swimmer's success at Beijing raised his visibility and would enable a world campaign around him. "Michael Phelps is leaving Beijing as a global sports icon. He's now with the likes of the Michael Jordans, Tiger Woods and Roger Federers and he's earned every bit to be in that elite company," said Michael Lynch, head of global sponsorship at Visa. Phelps first became marketable after winning six gold medals at the 2004 Athens Games. He has had a financial adviser for the past five years to help him manage his income and recently bought a house in Baltimore that he will move into after Beijing. But his success at the 2008 Games has put him in a different league, with a record 14 gold medals to his name, and is set to make him the richest swimmer ever. "This absolutely changes the game. The values will change, the depth of the programmes he is involved with will change, the breadth of these programmes will change," Phelps's agent, Peter Carlisle, from US sports agency Octagon told Reuters. Before Beijing, it was estimated that Phelps's sponsorship deals earned him about $5-million a year although Carlisle, who has acted for Phelps for six years, would not confirm this. Swimming in money But as Phelps won gold after gold at Beijing, his appeal soared and television audiences in the United states, the world's biggest media market, watched his victories in record numbers. Sponsorship evaluator Joyce Julius & Associates estimated Phelps's air-time value to Speedo, one of his sponsors, was $3.6-million after winning five golds -- more than justifying the $1-million bonus Speedo paid Phelps for matching Mark Spitz's record of winning seven gold medals at one Olympics. His windfall is about to get bigger. A lot bigger. Carlisle said previous Olympians had struggled to stay in the public eye between the Games but he was confident that Phelps Inc. would maintain its momentum due to a multi-layered marketing strategy that was not just focused on swimming competitions. Phelps has made it clear his goal is to raise the profile of swimming. As well as adverts for sponsors, he created a social network site for swimmers (www.swimroom.com) that sells merchandise like "Michael for President" T-shirts, completed a documentary on swimming, runs swim clinics and has taken on various TV roles. "You can't compare the platform he has now to anything that any swimmer has had in the past," said Carlisle. "He has worked to develop promotional platforms that can exist between the Games, irrespective of whether there is a competitive event. "I think he can make swimming much more than a once-every-four-year sport in terms of relevance to the general public." But could Carlisle put a value on Phelps with some marketing experts estimating he could be worth up to $30-million a year? He said it was impossible -- but the potential was enormous. "If the strategy works with each of these platforms and business engines are fuelled, this amounts over time to arguably exponential growth in efficiency and in value," he said. www.marketingweb.co.za/.../page74603

Phelps to start swimming foundation Olympian Michael Phelps announced this morning that he will put part of his $1 million bonus for tying Mark Spitz's seven gold medals into a foundation to encourage the growth of swimming. Excellent! www.msnbc.msn.com/.../

Wow - good to know that even though I couldn't make the Olympics or get rich on my own, if my future kids manage to I can hitch a ride on their coat tails and ink up a six figure endorcement contract of my own (perhaps from an electronic seat warmer make, as that is the equivalent to what Debbie Phelps is accomplishing).

the early reports I read gave me the impression phelps was going to put part of the $1,000,000 speedo bonus in the Michael Phelps Foundation. here's the latest news Michael Phelps Launches Foundation, Donates Speedo $1 Million Bonus to Charity Olympic Gold Medalist Embarks on Eight-City Tour Last update: 4:42 p.m. EDT Sept. 2, 2008 BALTIMORE & NEW YORK, Sep 02, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Fourteen-time Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps today announced the establishment of the Michael Phelps Foundation and made his first donation by committing the well-publicized $1 million bonus he will receive from Speedo(R) for winning eight gold medals in Beijing. The Foundation's first initiative will be an eight-city tour across the United States, in collaboration with long-time partner Speedo ( www.speedousa.com ), to visit children and share his experiences in Beijing. The Tour will also serve as the launch of an education program, Dream, Plan, Reach, based on a simple yet powerful set of principles that Michael learned as a child and has applied to his everyday life. The Program will provide children with an understandable game plan for life that can extend beyond the swimming pool, to empower children to live healthy, active lives.Dream, Plan, Reach focuses on informed planning and goal-setting, and the importance of personal responsibility and discipline in adhering to that plan in day-to-day living. "Thanks to a lot of hard work, some good fortune, the inspiration I drew from so many supporters around the world, and incredible teammates, I was able to achieve that dream by winning eight Gold Medals in Beijing," said Phelps. "Now, my goals reach beyond the pool, to helping others realize their dreams, and continuing to grow the sport I love so much. I feel it's only appropriate that I continue the momentum that Speedo helped to create, by committing my bonus to the establishment of the Michael Phelps Foundation, which I hope will help me inspire others to achieve their dreams, and give back to the sport that has given me so much." Speedo has shared in Michael's dreams for gold since 2001 and in 2003 helped him draw attention to the sport of swimming, by announcing the $1 Million Dollar bonus should he win seven or more Gold Medals in a single Olympic Games. "Speedo has been proud to support Michael as he reached for his dreams throughout the years," said Joseph Gromek, President and CEO of Warnaco, the licensee for Speedo in North America. "We congratulate him on this truly historic accomplishment in Beijing and look forward to supporting him in this new endeavor. Warnaco and Speedo International are also pleased to announce an additional $200,000 donation to the Michael Phelps Foundation in honor of Michael's eighth gold medal in Beijing." "I've been extremely fortunate to have had swimming play such a profound role in my life," said Phelps, who is represented by Peter Carlisle, Managing Director of Olympics & Action Sports, Octagon. "I have met great people, seen the world, and learned the power of dreams; I've learned that through education, planning, goal-setting, and informed decision-making, anything is possible." The Michael Phelps Foundation is a Non-Profit Corporation organized pursuant to the District of Columbia Non-Profit Corporation Act. Established in August of 2008 by 14-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Michael Phelps, the Foundation's purpose is to operate exclusively for charitable educational, and scientific purposes; and to promote healthy, active lives, especially for children, primarily by expanding opportunities for participation in the sport of swimming, both nationally and internationally. SOURCE: Speedo and Michael Phelps Foundation www.marketwatch.com/.../story.aspx www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../18937.asp