In the multibillion-dollar sports industry, the most competitive contests are often fought off the playing field, where athletes, businesses, teams and events jostle for name recognition in hopes of capturing a bigger share of the entertainment dollar. So who's doing it best?

Our second Forbes Fab 40, a ranking of the world's top sports brands, reveals that Tiger Woods, Nike ( NKE - news - people ), Manchester United and the Super Bowl are the most valuable names in their respective categories.