Athletes' fall from ad grace capped by Lewis.(Chicago Tribune)

Ray Lewis' MVP performance in the Super Bowl has done nothing to appease Corporate America's recent waning interest in athlete-as-sponsor.

In fact, Lewis may have only added to the negative aura, some experts say.

Years ago, athletes were everywhere, endorsing everything. But companies have gradually pulled back _ Tiger Woods notwithstanding _ because of the drumbeat of negative publicity about athletes' off-the-field activities and nagging questions about whether firms get their money's worth from big-name endorsers.

More often than not, companies are willing to forgo the compelling edginess an athlete can deliver to the image of a product _ as Jim McMahon once did _ or are bypassing the story of an athlete climbing out of a dark past.

Take Jennifer Capriati's comeback after a drug arrest several years ago to win her first Grand Slam tennis tournament last week. Many experts say that although she has a much better chance at becoming a big-name endorser than Lewis, it may take more than a victory in the Australian Open to do it.

So goes the pro athlete sponsorship game. The supply-and-demand balance has certainly tipped in favor of the advertiser, as even good athletes with squeaky-clean images are left on the bench. This comes after a dramatic push during the dot-com craze for athlete endorsers.

Negative publicity is almost always a deal-breaker.