1.   Activewear makers are going beyond the standard athlete endorsements to plug their labels, turning to TV and Tinseltown to promote their brands with some unusual product placements.

2.   But when sales later slumped, many companies, including Reebok, cut back on athlete endorsements and looked for more cost-effective ways to get out their marketing messages.

3.   In the past, New Balance believed that celebrity athlete endorsements were essential to the success of the category that appeals heavily to teenagers.

4.   Professional athlete endorsements have grown more varied, as increased media coverage turns ballplayers and skaters into highly paid celebrities.

5.   Sports business observers say the future of athlete endorsements is good, but for a broader range of athletes than in past decades.

6.   Nike has also cut back on filling new positions and taken to paying lower fees for athlete endorsements.

7.   The lackluster showing of the Woods line adds to growing questions about the value of athlete endorsements.

8.   Seventy percent of those interviewed said commercials are annoying and athlete endorsements are nothing to be prized, merely something sold to the highest bidder.

9.   Seventy-five percent said they are not influenced by athlete endorsements.