Michael Ventre

Anna Kournikova was born in Moscow on June 7, 1981. Later she and her parents moved to Florida, where she pursued a career in tennis. While her accomplishments in singles were disappointing — she never won a tournament — she established herself as one of the world’s best doubles players. But because of her looks, she has achieved more attention as an Internet sensation. A Google of her name produces site upon site filled with photos, fan club blogs and tributes. She has built that attention into a cottage industry.

Maria Sharapova was born in the Siberian town of Nyagan on April 19, 1987. She too emigrated to Florida to begin a tennis career. But Sharapova had an advantage over her fellow countrywoman: She was more focused on tennis. As a result, Sharapova is the No. 1 ranked player in women’s tennis. She has Wimbledon and U.S. Open singles titles to her credit. And she has scads of Internet admirers because of her beauty.

While there is no doubt that Sharapova is a superb champion who also generates a great deal of income and interest because of her image, it also appears that a marginal career can also translate into great wealth and immense popularity as long as the image is pleasing.

This “Kournikova effect” has been seen in other athletes as well, including Danica Patrick, Jesse Palmer, Natalie Gulbis and others. Patrick is certainly a capable driver on the Indy circuit and has been in demand for endorsements. But she has yet to win a race. Palmer was just a backup quarterback in the NFL with middling talent, but he transformed that into some marketing success with his appearance on “The Bachelor.” Gulbis is an LPGA “star” who, like Kournikova, has a bevy of web sites devoted to her and her sexy photos as well as her own calendar, but she has yet to win a tournament.

To better understand this phenomenon whereby an athlete can consider his or her sport a secondary venture when matched against the earning power of an image, it’s beneficial to examine the difference between the two Russian tennis prodigies.

SPORTS GO HOLLYWOOD   Images: Are they athletes or celebrities? Athletes more like movie stars than ever Transition from sports to screen not easy Beware the ‘Kournikova effect’

Contrary to popular belief, Kournikova wasn’t simply a creation of lascivious fans and the celebrity media. She was an outstanding player who showed enormous potential while competing at the junior level. As a 16-year-old singles players she reached the 1997 Wimbledon semifinals, losing to eventual champion Martina Hingis. The following year she broke into the top 20. And she reached No. 1 in the WTA rankings in women’s doubles.

But her climb ended there. “She was a really good player,” noted Bud Collins, the Hall of Fame tennis commentator for NBC. “But she eventually got caught up in all the frills and notoriety surrounding her. She was still a good doubles player because she was good volleyer, and that set her apart because most women don’t know how to volley.

“She was good and could have been very good. But her looks made her a lot of money.”

Indeed, her high profile as a celebrity overshadowed her ability as a player so much that ESPN named her among its “25 Biggest Sports Flops of the Past 25 Years.”

What might surprise some is that Kournikova’s appeal, at least in the area of marketing, may have been greater among women than men.

Slide show Super Sharapova Check out images of Maria Sharapova's career on, off court. more photos

Larry DeGaris, director of academic sports marketing at the University of Indianapolis, said Kournikova benefited most from generating sales of apparel.

“Anna Kournikova got a lot of press over the idea that she was all sizzle and no steak,” he said. “In the research that I’ve done, male fans are less interested in her appearance than female fans. If you’re a guy interested in cheesecake, you’re not going to go to an LPGA golf tournament or a tennis tournament. You can just go to Hooters.

“Women tend to make more comments about her appearance. Anna has been wildly successful at selling apparel. Who buys apparel? Women. It’s designed for women players.”

Added DeGaris: “The sad part is, she was a good player. She just wasn’t great.”