Commercial Mindset Quote

On Michael Phelps winning his historic eighth Olympic gold on Saturday night (from here):

"If he's handled properly over the next four years, he should generate in excess of $40 million," said Marc Ganis, president of Sportscorp Ltd., a Chicago-based sports business consulting firm.

"He benefits from a celebrity-driven culture, a need for advertisers to raise themselves out of the clutter and the warm feelings that the American public has for him. His image is a perfect match for companies which want to align their brand with great success."

What is he, some kind of a piece of machinery or something... ?