Tiger Tops Highest Paid List

Since 2009 and the trouble that stemmed from Tiger Woods’ highly publicized car accidents and infidelities, the amount that Tiger earns from sponsors and other things has seriously decreased.  Big brand sponsors that include AT&T, PepsiCo, and Gillette dropped Tiger almost immediately, therefore eliminating those earnings.  Then, with the economy in the situation that it is, I would think it’s safe to say that his design business is struggling too.  None of that takes into consideration the fact that the guy has been completely winless out on the golf course for close to a two year period.

Despite all of the trials and troubles Tiger has experienced, and the fact that he can’t seem to top any list, in this case he actually takes the cake for the highest paid athlete in the entire world.  For the past year, Tiger Woods brought in $75 million, while the second highest paid athlete, Kobe Bryant only earned $53 million.

So how did Tiger manage this?  Well, he can give credit to both Nike and Electronic Arts (EA) for half of his annual income for the last 12 months.  In 1998 Nike gave Tiger a sponsorship deal, and that same year EA released the first Tigers Woods PGA Tour golf video game.

Nike’s entire golf division depends on Tiger Woods to keep the brand going, and last year alone they reportedly sold over $635 million.  In March, EA sold 225,000 units of their Tiger Woods video game, the fourteenth, in the first week.

Of the top 50 highest paid athletes, 15 of those are basketball players.  Kobe Bryant was the top paid basketball player and the second largest paid athlete overall.  His salary from the LA Lakers is $4 million more than any other basketball player’s salary in the NBA.  On top of that, he signed endorsements with both Mercedes Benz and Turkish Airlines.  It all added up to his $53 million a year earnings.  Coming in at the number three spot is LaBron James who plays with the Miami Heat.

Because of the NFL Lockout, there are only 3 NFL players on the list of the top 50 highest paid athletes, while last year there were 9.

There is only one woman of the list of top 50 highest paid athletes.  Maria Sharapova the tennis player is the only woman to make it.  That’s the second year in a row that she has been the lone woman on the list, mostly thanks to the deal that she has with Nike.

Here’s the list of the Top 10 Highest Paid Athletes:

1.  Tiger Woods – $75 Million

2.  Kobe Bryant – $53 Million

3.  LeBron James – $48 Million

4. Roger Federer – $47 Million

5.  Phil Mickelson – $46.5 Million

6. David Beckham – $41 Million

7. Cristiano Ronaldo – $37 Million

8.  Alex Rodriquez – $36 Million

9.  Michael Shumacher – $34 Million

10.  Lionel Messi – $32 Million