The on-the-fairway battles between pro golfers Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods are well-documented, but when it comes to off-the-green marketability, it’s a runaway victory for Mickelson, according to Nielsen and E-Poll’s N-Score, which measures endorsement potential.

According to Nielsen, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Donovan McNabb hold the highest N-Scores, a measure of marketability created in tandem with E-Poll, yet Michael Vick, Tom Brady, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers garnered the most buzz online since last September.

NBA finals champ Dirk Nowitzki is the most marketable man in basketball, according to Nielsen/E-Poll, with an N-Score of 132. In addition to his MVP performance in the finals, Nowitzki’s new top position on the list is thanks in part to the retirement of N-Score and endorsement heavyweight Shaquille O’Neal and the shifting fortunes of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, whose scores dropped from 131 to 26 and 117 to 34, respectively.

Wimbledon is famous for its grass courts, heated matches and—particularly in recent years—fashion statements. While the athletes continue to duke it out on the court, Nielsen/E-Poll N-Scores show that the court of public opinion has already ruled on which tennis stars are the most stylish, with little-known Caroline Wozniacki taking the top spot.

With Boston and Vancouver facing-off for bragging rights as the Stanley Cup champ, which home country—the U.S. or Canada—has the most marketable players?

A look at the Nielsen/E-Poll N-Scores of the No. 1 football draft picks from the past decade—as well as a review of the top 10 N-Scores of current NFL players—found that draft position rarely translates into long-term marketability.

As Major League Baseball prepares for the first pitch of the new season March 31, two New York Yankees— Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera—are ranked as the two most marketable players in baseball, according to Nielsen and E-Poll’s N-Score ranking.

Last year’s Super Bowl was the most watched TV program in U.S. history. With 106.5 million viewers, the game supplanted the long-time leading final episode of M*A*S*H (which had 105.5 million viewers in 1983). Will this year’s NFL championship game beat the record again?

Nielsen’s “Year in Sports 2010″ reveals that households earning more than $100,000 are more likely to watch major sporting events like the Super Bowl, World Series or World Cup.

Nielsen’s new N-Score rates the brand impact of professional athletes and sports personalities to enable advertisers to make strong marketing decisions on commercial endorsements.