Tiger Tops Best-Paid Athletes
June 16, 2008
Sports Illustrated is out with its fifth annual list of America’s Fortunate 50 — the best-paid athletes who call the U.S. home – and its a runaway again. Tiger Woods not only leads the way; he raked in more than twice the haul of his nearest rival, fellow golfer Phil Mickelson.
In compiling the list, SI limited earnings to salary, winnings, bonuses, endorsements and appearances. Given Tiger’s on-course success and enormous personal popularity, it’s no great surprise that he fared well in all categories, commanding an estimated $105 million in endorsements alone.
After Tiger and Phil, the rest of the Top 10 is made up or four NBA stars, two New York Yankees, one NFL quarterback, and a boxer.
Here’s the abbreviated version of the list:
1. Tiger Woods, golf – $127,902,706
2. Phil Mickelson, golf — $62,372,685
3. LeBron James, NBA — $40,455,000
4. Floyd Mayweather, Jr., boxing, $40,250,000
5. Kobe Bryant, NBA, $35,490,625
6. Shaquille O’Neal, NBA, $35,000,000
T6. Alex Rodriguez, baseball, $35,000,000
8. Kevin Garnett, NBA, $31,000,000
9. Peyton Manning, NFL, $30,500,000
10. Derek Jeter, baseball, $30,000,000
Catch the rest of the list by visiting SI.com.
