Yeah, I follow professional bike racing, and... if you think about it, the "product" is entertainment. Winning certainly counts for a lot, but there are other guys who manage to make something of a name for themselves for who they are, how they race, how they talk, and other things that aren't just winning.
One guy that comes to mind is Joao Correia, who came back to professional racing in his mid 30ies after losing a lot of weight, something virtually unheard of in the cycling world, where you're either headed for the pro ranks by your early 20ies or you're out. He was a very active writer about his experience, both via longer articles and on twitter. Now he's going to do a book, apparently. By not being quiet, he absolutely helped his own brand, and his team.
Actually she was quite an accomplished doubles player and won many tournaments, including a grand slam, as such. They were ranked #1 for a while. Also, becoming no. 8 on the singles world ranking as quite an achievement, even without winning any tournaments.
One guy that comes to mind is Joao Correia, who came back to professional racing in his mid 30ies after losing a lot of weight, something virtually unheard of in the cycling world, where you're either headed for the pro ranks by your early 20ies or you're out. He was a very active writer about his experience, both via longer articles and on twitter. Now he's going to do a book, apparently. By not being quiet, he absolutely helped his own brand, and his team.
http://bikechatter.com/main/foruser/32/joaoisme