Was it just a few years ago that an athlete's biggest consumer-products thrill was to be featured on a box of whole-wheat cereal? A new generation of star has dismissed "You better eat your Wheaties" in favor of "It's in the game," or one of any number of catchphrases associated with sports video games.

Where have you gone, Mary Lou Retton? These days, players don't vault to superstardom without being on the box of a video game -- or, at least, a role in one of the ubiquitous and highly entertaining (yet indistinguishable) TV ads promoting the new releases.

What's the real sign that Jason Kidd was robbed of the NBA MVP last season? EA inked him as the front man of their upcoming high-profile NBA Live 2003 game. Cover choices represent corporate strategies: Industry-leading EA went with the safe pick -- Marshall Faulk -- on their blazingly hot Madden 2003; upstart 989 Sports picked the nouveau riche Tom Brady. "Q ratings" soar when a player is associated with a game that becomes popular.

For more on what's hot (and what's not) this week, if it's in the game, it's in the list:

What's Hot, What's Not this week
Category	Hot	Not
Hot(head) commodity	Lou Piniella	Buck Showalter
All credit to Martz, all blame elsewhere	Marc Bulger	Kurt Warner
Rodriguez	K-Rod (Francisco)	A-Rod (Alex)
Must-have WR accessory	Sharpie pen	'Do rag
Knick punchline	Antonio McDyess	Latrell Sprewell
Nickname past its use	"Big Hurt"	"The Glove"
Unbeaten teams to watch	Air Force, N.C. State	Notre Dame, Bowling Green
Bad officials	Pac-10	Big Ten
Missed field goals	Wide left	Wide right
Grass-roots tour	Skateboarding	Street basketball
Bengals biggest problem	Breach of county contract for failure to field a competitive team	Corey Dillon's ridiculous retirement talk
Cheerleaders	NHL	NFL
NFL must-have jersey	Alternate colors coming soon	The one your team wore last week
For your kids	Sports-themed LEGOs	Bobbleheads
High-school golfers	Girls	Boys
Reason for Florida football flop	Can buy offensive playbook breakdown on VHS	Spurrier left cupboard bare
Chris Simms	Does New Jersey have a CFL team?	"Still has tools to be an NFL QB"
How to deal with Andy Rooney	Ignore him -- he's ignorant and irrelevant	Dignify his idiocy with comment
Obvious Heisman-foreshadowing moment	Seneca Wallace's sidewinder TD scamper	Ken Dorsey's sideline "Please: Wide-something!" prayer
Teams to beat	Wild cards	Division champs
Managerial prospect	Willie Randolph	David Wells
'84 Tiger that Trammell's still missing	Jack Morris	Willie Hernandez
Weekend flick	"The Ring" (original Japanese edition)	"White Oleander"
Big question in SoCal	"How are you going to pitch to Barry Bonds?"	"How's Shaq's toe?
Expectations about Tiger Woods	Get over it -- he is not going to take stands	Leader for change at Augusta
Chicago QB controversy	Jim Miller vs. Chris Chandler	Jay Williams vs. Jamal Crawford

Dan Shanoff is a columnist for Page 2. His "What's Hot, What's Not" trend-spotting list appears Thursdays. Got inside scoop on an up-and-coming trend? Want to declare something passé? Send this glimpse of your hipness to hotnotlist@yahoo.com.