"I had Hispanic agencies telling me that, 'no, Mexicans like soccer, baseball and boxing,' " Hambric said. "But this is a woman who is now the No. 1, best-regarded person in her country."
When asked whether it would be easier for Ochoa to win corporate sponsorships if she were living in the U.S., Hambric responded, "You bet."
That won't happen, according to her brother. "She doesn't want to move to the States and she doesn't need to move," Alejandro Ochoa said, "All of her family, friends, her coach, everything important to her life is found in Guadalajara. And the sponsors she has don't care. It's not an issue."
For Patrick, the challenge will be to use her celebrity to forge sponsorship deals beyond those with automotive and racing industry staples such as Peak antifreeze. Patrick enjoys a marketing tie to Motorola, the major sponsor for the Andretti Green Racing team for which she drives.
And, like other drivers, Patrick is allowed to sign separate deals; her best-known personal sponsorships, other than GoDaddy.com, are with AirTran and Samsonite. Her business team did not respond to requests for an interview.
AirTran celebrated her victory by renaming one of its aircraft "AirTranica" and pasting a larger-than-life picture of her on the fuselage.
The Indy Racing League also stands to benefit from Patrick's victory.
"I'm guessing that if the genie came out of the bottle last weekend in the IndyCar offices, this would have been the one wish they would have wished for," Bartelli said.
The same is true for the LPGA.
"When we talk about success in the LPGA, we're talking not just their performance on the course, but their passion, approachability, appearance and relevance," said LPGA Chief Marketing Officer Bill Susetka. "And Lorena embodies all of those five points of celebrity."
Marjorie A. Snyder, co-chief executive of the New York-based Women's Sports Foundation, said that at some point same-day victories by two female athletes won't result in a flurry of news stories.
"I guess it will happen when we reach critical mass," she said. The foundation's new women's sports museum is to open early next month in New York, where one of Patrick's racing helmets will be on display.
"We haven't done it yet, so what we've got are a lot of these singular moments. When we can run them together, in strings, and do it in a bunch of different sports, that will be the real thing."
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greg.johnson@latimes.com
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Superstar Salaries
Tiger Woods earned more from endorsements and business deals than any other athlete in the world during the 12-month period that ended June 2007, according to Forbes. The top-paid female athlete, Maria Sharapova, earned less than one-quarter of what Woods received. The top five men and women:
Male athletes
Tiger Woods, golf, ...$100 million
Oscar De La Hoya, boxing, ...$43 million
Phil Mickelson, golf, ...$42 million
Kimi Raikkonen, auto racing, ...$40 million
Michael Schumacher, auto racing, ...$36 million
Female athletes
Maria Sharapova, tennis, ...$23 million
Michelle Wie, golf, ...$19 million
Serena Williams, tennis, ...$14 million
Annika Sorenstam, golf, ...$10 million
Danica Patrick, auto racing, ...$5 million
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Source: Forbes.com Celebrity 100 list.
