In a man's world, Americans rule the roost

There is one giant shark prowling in the big ocean called celebrity sports marketing. His name is Tiger Woods. Every year, when the list of big earners in the sporting sphere hits the headlines, Woods figures prominently in it, mostly right at the top.

The American rakes in dollars thanks to his phenomenal talent on the golf course. He is also showered with cash by corporates eager to add value to their brands. The cocktail of charisma and class that Woods brings to the table is so powerful that the golfing star became the sporting world’s first billion-dollar man last year, leaving the likes of NBA legend Michael Jordan and Formula One great Michael Schumacher way behind.

Despite his image taking a beating because of the much-publicised sex scandal, Woods emerged the leader for the ninth straight time in the Forbes’ 2010 list of sporting millionaires that records earnings from previous July to the end of June in the current year.

Woods’ take home was a cool $105 million during the period which saw his family life getting torn asunder. Firms like Accenture and AT &T reacted swiftly to the scandals that hit the Woods world, breaking off lucrative deals with the world’s number one golfer, showing how important a clean image is for the marketing men.

Still, Woods was far ahead of the rest of the field, with boxer Floyd Mayweather Junior at $40 million behind in second place. In fact, Americans rule the roost when it comes to big money deals, with basketballer Kobe Bryant ($48 million) and golfer Phil Mickelson ($46 million) taking the third and fourth spots.

Beckham can still bend it

David Beckham, in his twilight years as a footballer, still has the pulling power when it comes to endorsements as his fifth place on the table suggests. Beckham ($43.7 million) was marginally ahead of Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer ($43 million), whose dominant period too seems to have ended, with Rafael Nadal’s fortunes on the upswing.

More often than not, prize money forms only a minor component of a sportsperson’s earnings. For instance, Woods’ $105 million included $20 million in prize money and $70 million from endorsements. The golfer also charges a hefty appearance fee and has interests in designing golf courses, fetching him a decent pay packet.

Interestingly, no woman sportsperson - including tennis divas Maria Sharapova or Serena Williams - comes anywhere close to the leading men in the money-making game.

Sharapova, who signed an eight-year contract with Nike for $70 million in January this year, is the highest paid female athlete in Forbes’ July list, with $24.5 million as her earnings for the preceding twelve months.

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Sporting millionaires