Adieu, Elway Nation.

• Author: Schley, Stewart
• Position: John Elway

In 1988, the photograph of a rising professional basketball player named Michael Jordan appeared on a box of Wheaties cereal. It was the first time the Chicago Bulls shooting guard had been deemed worthy of a major product endorsement, and it launched what remains the most prolific endorsement record of a major athlete.

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Jordan followed his debut on a cereal box with a far-flung canon of hucksterism that has helped brands including McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Gatorade. More famously, Hanes and Nike also elevate their stature and warm themselves in the lustrous consumerist glow of His Airness.

That Jordan endures today as a pitchman--nearly four years after scoring the 32,292nd and final point of a remarkable career (via a free throw)--testifies to a rare combination of attributes: good looks, dominant skills, an accessible sensibility and one helluva dunk shot. It is unusual for an athlete of any stature to command the public stage so convincingly, and for so long, as Jordan has.

That point has been dramatized in Colorado recently as the state's most treasured professional athlete is expunged from billboards, bumpers and advertisements associated with the Colorado auto dealerships owned by AutoNation Inc. When it became known in early December that former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway would no longer serve as the marquee pitchman for the company's dealerships, it was impossible to skirt the conclusion that time can run out even on a remarkable football player who once was able to defy the pursuits of the most able opponents in the game.

There was a scripted diplomacy evident in the statements from AutoNation and its president and chief operating officer, Mike Maroone, who told The Denver Post Elway's endorsement contract had run its course and would not, for a variety of business reasons, be renewed. No. 7 himself followed a day later, during a press conference held ostensibly to promote the Colorado Crush football team he co-owns, with an explanation of his own. He said Colorado may not have seen the last of Elway in the automobile business, and that Elway's detachment from AutoNation would allow the former quarterback to launch his own retail dealerships if he chooses. The back-at-you repartee reminded me of face-saving rituals common in Japan and other Asian countries that aim to allow the most permissive of avenues through which to maintain honor following a difficult negotiation.

I don't doubt that Elway may...