High GDP worth weight in gold (medals)

The winning formula is just so simple: Gold equals gold.

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Phelps will get richer, at least in the short term

By extracting a record eight gold medals from the Summer Olympics, Michael Phelps has emerged as one of the most famous athletes in the world.

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Gymnastics matters ... every four years

When one thinks of a defining moment from the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, the image of Kerri Strug leaps to mind.

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Companies have tall hopes for Yao Ming

In the National Basketball Association, Yao Ming is a strong player in a star-studded league. Averaging 19 points per game during his six-year career with Houston, the Chinese center is often overshadowed by LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and others, who are flashier on and off the court.

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The top 8 Olympic marketing screw-ups

Advertisers take huge risks when they tie their products to Olympic athletes. Not only is it possible that the face of your shoe, soft drink or credit card will experience the agony of defeat on a international stage, but in some cases there’s no guarantee that the athlete or athletes will even make it to the competition.

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China's huge market is biggest Olympic prize

More than 17 million people live in Beijing, China, the host city for the Summer Olympics that open Friday. That is more than the population of the past four host cities — Athens, Sydney, Atlanta and Barcelona — combined. China counts 1.3 billion residents, more than any country on Earth.

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While the Games offer unique attractions to sponsors, multinationals are already looking more critically at whether the payback will be worth it for future Games.

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When China's heavily hyped and widely marketed track star Liu Xiang limped away from the starting blocks earlier this week, his legions of fans weren't the only ones let down.

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After some disappointments among Nike's prospects, the company is looking to men's basketball for one of those big medal moments companies crave from the Olympics.

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When China's heavily hyped and widely marketed track star Liu Xiang limped away from the starting blocks earlier this week, his legions of fans weren't the only ones let down.

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Now that Phelps is the signature athlete of the Beijing Games, he faces another challenge - joining the ranks of sports' marketing giants.

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Michael Phelps may have racked up more medals than any other Olympian in history, but turning his gold into Madison Avenue or Hollywood cash will be far trickier.

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Every four years, after being ignored by the masses since the previous Olympics, gymnastics grabs the limelight, and endorsements.

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Several mascots over the years have been pleasing to the eye, but many more have been ugly, confusing and downright creepy.

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Yao Ming is the biggest star on his home stage. And companies who are paying the 7-foot-6, 310-pound behemoth to endorse their products are anticipating a windfall.

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Advertisers take huge risks when they tie their products to Olympic athletes. These are our picks for the eight biggest marketing blunders in modern Olympic history.

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Never before has an Olympics been staged in a market so big and underserved.� That means Olympic sponsors are staring at a rare opportunity to snare Chinese consumers.

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A look at eight U.S. Olympians who may become household names after the games, and profit handsomely from it.

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A look at eight U.S. Olympians who may become household names after the games, and profit handsomely from it.

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For many advertisers this year, their Olympic spots in the U.S. are more about humanity and athletes and less about national pride.

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For years investors have been asking why General Electric owns NBC Universal, and GE has been making the case that despite having little to do with the rest of the business, the network was a one-of-a-kind asset worth hanging on to.

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