Phelps' next goal is to be like Mike for his sport

BEIJING Six Chinese bodyguards in dark suits surrounded Michael Phelps as he waded through a sea of camera crews for a press conference Monday morning. It was yet another sign the swimmer's life would not be the same after winning his historic eighth gold medal, solidifying his status as the Most Golden Olympian of All Time.

The press conference was held at Prince Jun Palace in Chaoyang Park, an ornate historic home from the Qing dynasty, a place befitting of royalty. In other words, the perfect place for a newly crowned global sports icon.

It's 8: Phelps passes Spitz with another gold

Phelps couldn't stop smiling as he soaked in the atmosphere.

Since his record-breaking race, the 23-year-old from Baltimore has spoken to President Bush, received 4,000 to 5,000 text messages on his Blackberry, eaten a big fat cheeseburger and French fries, done countless interviews, and, started to sift through endorsement requests that could total in the tens of millions when all is said and done.

He was already pulling in an estimated $5 million in endorsements from Visa, Speedo, Omega watches, PowerBar, and AT&T. Sports marketing experts are predicting he will exceed $30 million in sponsorships. He doesn't have Mark Spitz's movie star looks, or Mary Lou Retton's charisma, but he has eight gold medals and a humble attitude that appeals to fans.

Known to consume 12,000 calories a day on a high-carb diet, Phelps would be a natural spokesman for a pizza chain or a pancake house. His speed makes him the perfect poster boy for a sports car.

"He came out of Athens as an American sports hero, and he's coming out of these Games a global sports icon," said Michael Lynch, the global sports manager at Visa. "We plan to expand Michael's presence in other parts around the world."

Phelps shrugs off the talk of lucrative contracts.

"I'm not in it for the money," Phelps said. "I swim because I love it, and I don't want it to be an every-four-year sport. I want to raise the profile of swimming."

He is off to a good start.

When he won his eighth gold medal, the NBC audience peaked at 40 million, making it the most-watched show on the network in 18 years. President Bush was among those watching.

"When I talked to President Bush, he told me all of America's proud of me, and then he told me to give my Mom a hug and tell her the president sent it," Phelps said.

Phelps raced 17 times over nine days, and on the 10th day, he took a breath. He held the eight gold medals in his hand all at once, and said "It's a pretty cool feeling." He packed away every swim cap and swimsuit he wore at the Water Cube, and his mother is preserving the eight flower arrangements he received on the medal podium.

"It's been crazy, but I'm trying to have fun and remember every moment," he said. "These are memories that will stay with me forever."

Phelps has been astonished by the buzz about him back in the United States.

"All my friends are sending me text messages telling me stuff like 40,000 Ravens fans watched our race on the big screen, and that my race was shown at Yankee Stadium and at the Red Sox game, and that Bruce Springsteen was doing a concert in Jacksonville and dedicated "Born in the USA" to me after my seventh medal. So many cool things. It's amazing. Every time I read a text message, I can't stop smiling."

Now that he has reached iconic stature, Phelps said there are some people he'd like to meet. First on the list: The "other" Michael. The one who plays basketball.

"I've met some pretty cool people, Muhammad Ali in Athens, President Bush and Tony Blair here, and Kobe Bryant and LeBron (James), but I really, really want to meet Michael Jordan," Phelps said. "What he did in basketball is what I want to do in swimming. He completely changed the sport. I want to meet Tiger, too. And Weezy (rapper Lil' Wayne). But I really, really want to meet Jordan."

Phelps said he remembers watching the "Be Like Mike" commercials and putting his hand on the Gatorade jug, just like his hero. "If I'm able to inspire a kid like he did, I'm going to do it. That's an amazing feeling."

As for his immediate plans, he will stick around the Olympics a few more days and then head to London, site of the 2012 Olympics, where he will be involved in the ceremonial hand-off from one Olympic host to the next. Phelps plans to keep training for the next four years, and will keep himself motivated by dropping the grueling 400 individual medley and adding a few new events probably the 100-meter freestyle and a backstroke event.

He is looking forward to getting back to Baltimore, catching some Ravens games, playing golf, and hanging out with his dog, Herman. He takes home a lifetime of memories, from Risk games with buddies in the Athletes Village to visiting with the U.S. men's basketball team in their locker room Monday night.

"It's been a really, really, really fun week. Some of my friends were around Sunday and they wanted to see my medals and hold them. Seeing them all together was pretty neat, cool, fun."

Michael Phelps' sponsors

Here's a look at the sponsors of American swimmer Michael Phelps, according to his agents. They declined to specify the value of the deals.

Speedo USA - maker of swimsuits, a licensed brand of the Warnaco Group Inc.

Visa Inc. - the credit card company

Omega - luxury watchmaker that is a unit of Swatch Group AG

Hilton Hotels Corp. - hotel chain

PowerBar - nutrition bar made by Swiss chocolate maker Nestle SA.

AT&T Inc. - communications provider

Kellogg Co. - maker of Frosted Flakes, Cheez-Its and Eggo waffles

Rosetta Stone Ltd. - language learning software maker

PureSport - sports performance beverage, made by Human Performance Labs

SwimRoom.com - Internet site for swimmers

Source: Sports and entertainment marketing company Octagon.