Athletes love endorsement deals. And when they're not whoring themselves out for a questionable product, they love licensing their name and image to bring in even more green. But it's a dangerous merchandising minefield to master, and when it comes to these 10 cash-grabs, the pros should've kept their head in the game.

 

10. Michael Jordan's cologne

Mike's cologne debuted in 1996 and, shockingly, is still on the market today. Celebrity fragrances were certainly nothing new in the mid-'90s, but with Jordan's licensing empire already encompassing shoes, Wheaties boxes, inspirational books and appearances in Michael Jackson videos, his "eau de Air" elicited more than a few chuckles. "Be like Mike"? No thanks. Leading scorer or not, who wants to smell like a 6'6" sweaty dude in Hanes?

 

 

9. Lawrence Taylor sells himself to the WWF

Okay, we admit this one's a bit of a cheat, since LT wasn't hawking a crappy toy or exercise machine with his name attached. But talk about selling yourself ... No. 56 picked up a nice payday for his "feud" and one-off match with mid-carder Bam Bam Bigelow at 1995's Wrestlemania XI. It generated a ton of press coverage, so much so that their bout became the main event, even though there was no title at stake. Taylor actually pulled off some surprising maneuvers for a non-grappler, but the entire ordeal was more damaging to his rep than all those drug arrests.

 

 

8. David Robinson's Doritos raft

How psyched was the Admiral to win an Olympic gold medal as part of the USA's first Dream Team in 1992? That medal undoubtedly lost some luster once Robinson was reduced to Chester Cheetah status by signing off on this Dorito's pool float. We know the guy served in the Navy, but he surely doesn't like water that much.

 

 

7. Rosey Grier's Needlepoint for Men

As one of the original members of the Los Angeles Rams' "Fearsome Foursome," Roosevelt Grier was given a free pass for the rest of his life to pursue any "non-macho" pastimes. But seriously, macrame and needlepoint? This from the 6'5", 300-pounder who disarmed Robert Kennedy's assassin and starred in The Man With Two Heads? We'll just take Rosey's words of wisdom from the dustjacket to heart: "Smile all you want, but if you try it once, you'll keep coming back for more, and that's the truth, brother."

 

 

6. Pro Stars cartoon

On paper, it sounded like a can't-miss concept: Animated versions of Wayne Gretzky, Bo Jackson and Michael Jordan team up to fight crime, protect children and even keep the environment safe and sound. And there would even be live-action sequences before each episode where the actual superstars hang out and talked turkey! But what viewers got was half a season of shoddy animation, crappy voice actors subbing for the pros, and pre-taped bits where they were obviously shot on different sets (if Jordan even bothered to show).

 

Click on the Page 2 link for a frightening shirtless dude. It's funny!