Cashing In On Sports
What's Your Q?
By Guy Junker

People often say that Pittsburgh sports fans spend too much time living in the past. Too much talk of Maz's home run and the Immaculate Reception. Ancient history in a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world.

But you know what? It's an unfair criticism. We aren't alone in that category. There is only one champion in each sport every year, and the rare teams and athletes that produce those special moments will most likely always be remembered in a favorable light. It's the same on the national level where the popularity can mean big bucks in advertising.

A New York research firm, Marke-ting Evaluations-TVQ, determines the popularity of an individual. They come up with resulting numbers known as a QScore; for athletes it's a Sports QScore. Of the 10 most popular athletes in this year's survey, seven are already retired. In fact the only athlete in the top 10 under the age of 35 is golfer Tiger Woods. Pittsburgh lives in the past? All sports fans do.

Michael Jordan is at the top of the list and has been for years. Tim Duncan didn't make it. Peyton Manning isn't in the top 10 but Joe Montana is. Derek Jeter missed; Nolan Ryan made it. That's understandable: Once a player is retired, they no longer have the opportunity to have their performance decline.

Everyone remembers the Ryan Express. He's viewed as a gentleman. A gentleman who struck out nearly 6,000 batters and threw seven no-hitters. Those numbers aren't going to change. But when an athlete is still playing, things can reverse themselves in a hurry. Ask Jason Giambi of the Yankees. Just last month Nike severed a nine year relationship with Giambi, who not only was struggling on the field but has been implicated as a user of performance enhancing substances. The combination of both on-field and off-field problems is lethal from a popularity standpoint.

While Hall of Fame careers are common among the most popular hucksters in the sports world, so is a clean image. Those images have a greater chance of holding true with someone who is no longer performing.

Much of this holds true at the local level as well. Tony Quatrini, Steelers director of marketing, understands the attraction to retired stars.

"First and foremost in this day and age is free agency. From year to year you don't know if a guy is staying with the team. It's easier to turn to established alumni when looking for a spokesman."

As popular as Hines Ward is, his contract situation is up in the air. Hall of Fame receivers like Lynn Swann and John Stallworth spent their entire careers in black and gold uniforms and would perhaps be more appealing. That is why former Steelers like Jack Ham, L.C. Greenwood, Franco Harris, Merril Hoge and Tunch Ilkin are often still seen and heard doing commercial endorsements.

It's no different with the Pirates. If your company was doing a TV commercial, would you want to use Jack Wilson or Bill Mazeroski?

It is human nature to look back with fondness. In anything. We tend to forget the bad and the painful and only remember the good and enjoyable. It's something the sports world understands, inside and outside of Pittsburgh. And something that businesses that use athletes to represent them are well aware of.

It's all there in the QScore. Even retired players are still measured by numbers.

Guy Junker co-hosts the "Junker & Crow Show" weekdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on ESPN Radio 1250.