When the 2006 season began, football player Michael Vick had it all. The #1 pick in the National Football League's 2001 draft, he had become an all-pro as quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. Vick's endorsement income from contracts from Nike, EA Sports, Coca-Cola and other top corporations had earned him 33rd place on Forbes' list of Top 100 Celebrities in 2005.

During the 2006 season, however, Vick's image began to change for the worse. A well-publicized finger gesture to the Falcons' fans during the season was a harbinger of the devastation to follow.

In April of 2007, all hell broke loose when Vick was accused of operating a six-state dog fighting ring based from his notorious Bad Newz Kennels. Further details, including the accusation that Vick personally executed one of his dogs, disgusted the American public and sent his endorsement deals down the drain.

After admitting his guilt in a plea deal, Vick was recently sentenced to 23 months in a federal kennel. Although prosecutors recommended a shorter sentence, the judge overrode their request due to Vick's lack of promised cooperation. As a result of his conviction, his financial empire has also collapsed, and his future earning potential looks as bleak as O.J.'s. Vick agreed to return nearly $20 million of his signing bonus, and banks are after him to return more than $4 million in business loans.

Animal lovers can take some solace that, even from the grave, the dogs Vick tormented managed to bite him back.

Be sure to check out other Money Losers of 2007.

This post is part of our Battle of the Brands feature. Let us know which brand you prefer, and watch out for more Battle of the Brands posts.

Some people drink Pepsi, some people drink Coke,
The wacky morning DJ says democracy's a joke.
-- Cake, Comfort Eagle

Unless you are a rare RC Cola drinker, your carbonated beverage decision in the supermarket comes down to the two heavyweights: the flagship products from the Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) and PepsiCo Inc (NYSE: PEP). But the battle between these brands spans much further than the supermarket shelves. From which brand restaurants stock, to what countries each operates in, this rivalry is all-encompassing and global. But instead of a list of countries or restaurant chains, lets take a deeper look at the actual products.

Cola and Beyond

We don't have space to list, nor would you have time to read, every different variant of Coca-Cola and Pepsi, which would force me to include failed ideas such as Crystal Pepsi. Suffice it to say, you won't find many original ideas here, and when a successful idea comes from either company, an imitator just as quickly appears from the other. Coke/Pepsi, Diet Coke/Diet Pepsi, Cherry Coke/Wild Cherry Pepsi, Coke with Lime/Pepsi Lime, Coke Zero/Pepsi One, Coca-Cola Blak/Pepsi Cappuccino. Had enough yet? Because that was just a list of comparable colas. Both companies also make lemon-lime sodas, orange sodas, and other similar carbonated and noncarbonated beverages. So then what differentiates them? Certainly not their product arsenal, but taste and marketing.