Good news, sports fans — you can soon be drinking Tiger Woods. Well, Gatorade Tiger, that is. That’s right. Gatorade has added Woods to the list of athletes they pay big money to put in their advertisements. Just how much money is the sports drink company paying him? Details of the contract haven’t been announced, but it has been estimated Tiger will receive as much as $100 million — an astronomical amount — to endorse the drink. Good thing, because, you know, he could really use the money. The world’s top golfer was able to formulate his own sports drink: "Gatorade Tiger." The flavors were chosen by Eldrick himself, and it will be available in March in cherry, citrus and grape. I’m not so sure what will make this drink any different from the dozens of other Gatorade products currently offered. Will I be able to crush my tee shots 300 yards if I chug one of these drinks before the round? Doubtful. It would take a lot more than a beverage to improve my chronic slice and my inability to hit out of the sand. It seems as if Tiger’s face is all over these days. He’s in ads for everything from Buick (which I doubt he actually drives), to American Express, to a recent Gillette ad alongside tennis star Roger Federer and soccer stud Thierry Henry. I guess I’m not surprised by Tiger’s marketability. He is one of the best athletes in the world, is highly recognizable and his attitude on and off the course make him desirable to advertisers. Woods is not alone in the world of athletes raking in the dough for a quick 30-second TV ad, and he’s not even the top dog in sports advertising today. Enter Peyton Manning. Yes, Peyton seems to do ads better than anyone today. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound quarterback with a laser rocket arm could probably sell books to a blind man. He has had some classic commercials in his day for MasterCard, Sprint, Gatorade and DirecTV, all of which keep the viewer laughing throughout. Some of his best include the MasterCard ad where Manning is trying to cheer up some struggling folks in his neighborhood like the good teammate he is ("They’re not saying boo, they’re saying moo-vers") and the ones where he asks a grocer to sign his melon, chants for "D-CAF" coffees and gets excited when a waiter tosses him his meal-used "jersey" after a shift, all in the same ad. How can you not love the guy? Because of him, I always have to refrain from yelling, "Cut that meat!" every time I go to the deli. There was a time BP — or, Before Peyton — where another athlete ruled supreme in the commercial world. A guy you might have heard of by the name of Michael Jeffery Jordan. Yes, His Airness was the king of ads and sponsorships. Like Tiger and Peyton, he also partnered with Gatorade. And thanks to Jordan, Gatorade has become the sports drink of choice for pros and schmoes alike. The "Be Like Mike" Gatorade slogan was about as catchy as they come. I guarantee many of you out there said to yourself, "I wish I could be like Mike" as you tried hopelessly to take off from the free-throw line with your tongue hanging out during a pickup basketball game. I mean come on, there was a whole song for it and everything. More recently, a Gatorade ad featured an aged MJ versus his, well, himself in his younger days. Simply brilliant. Michael will forever be linked to one other company besides Gatorade: Nike. His "Air Jordan" shoes with Nike were so successful that they spurred his own line of shoes and clothing. Mike got a little help from his friend Spike Lee in promoting the shoes. In perhaps one of Jordan’s most famous ads, Lee asked MJ what made him so good. It wasn’t the haircut, it wasn’t the vicious dunks and it wasn’t the extra long shorts. It had to have been the shoes. Well, at least Nike wanted you to think so. You name it, Jordan has pitched it. Other notable sponsors of His Airness included McDonalds, which featured an ad with Jordan and Larry Bird, Coca Cola, Rayovac Batteries, Chevrolet, Wheaties, and, of course, Hanes. Who could soon forget MJ parading around in his underwear that are apparently neither boxers nor briefs, but "Hanes." I’ve got to tip my hat to Gatorade for all of this, because they have truly proven themselves the kings of sports advertising. When you are able to lure three of the best athletes of their time (and possibly of all time), you’re obviously doing something right. Come to think of it, I could make a pretty good pitch man myself, what with my years of intramural experience and all. So to any Gatorade reps out there, have your phone ready. I’ll have my people call your people. Tyler Mason is a junior majoring in journalism. If you want to star in his new Gatorade commercial, you can contact him at [email protected].