While sports may be seen as the best and most active pastime for a 10-year old, some people deem it as money-making lifestyle. From boxers, basketball players, to golfers, many have lay claim to being not just the best but also the richest in their respective sports . For today, we look at the Top 10 highest-paid athletes during the last twelve months according to Forbes.
NUMBER 10: DALE EARNHARDT, JR.
Earnings last 12 months: $34 million
Sport: Car Racing
Easily the most popular NASACAR racer today, Earnhardt cashed in a cool $34 million despite winning only a single race for the past two seasons. This makes a case for not having to be the clear best of the best to be the richest in one’s sport, as he took advantage of deals from giants Adidas and Chevrolet. That’s easily what happens when sales of merchandise linked to your name raced past any other race car driver’s by a mile.
NUMBER 9: VALENTINO ROSSI
Earnings last 12 months: $35 million
Sport: Motorcyle Racing
As if earning a cool $16 million a year in salary alone wasn’t good enough, Rossi more than doubles that amount by being the face of a sport and thus getting being endorsements deals. Mind you, he is that good at what he does. He won the 2008 World Championship – the eighth of his career.
NUMBER 6: MANNY PACQUIAO
Earnings last 12 months: $40 million
Sport: Boxing
We jump to the sixth spot because of a three-way tie. First on this rank is the Filipino boxing champion Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao who became king of the boxing world when he put on flawless performances against The Golden Boy Oscar de La Hoya and punched the lights out of Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton. Apart from the split of the money he garnered from those fights, he generated more income from pay-per-view buys and various endorsements in his hometown and around the world. Pacman is said to be seeking a seat in Congress in the Philippines in 2010. Perhaps a higher ranking in the Forbes list by then?
NUMBER 6: PHIL MICKELSON
Earnings last 12 months: $40 million
Sport: Golf
Sometimes being number two isn’t that bad, as Mickelson experiences. Being next to Tiger Woods in golf has generated various endorsements for this Phil, the most notable one his deal with Callaway, which recently gave him a 5-year extension. With this, we can probably expect Phil to climb up the rankings next year. And we haven’t even begun talking about him possibly racing past Tiger Woods.
NUMBER 10: LEBRON JAMES
Earnings last 12 months: $40 million
Sport: Basketball
Rounding out the bottom half and the 3-way tie for sixth place is basketball phenom and athletic freak Lebron James. “King” James as he is called has recently won the Most Valuable Player Award. And if he moves to a bigger market like New York in 2010, the moolah’s gonna fall for James non-stop! With his very public declaration that he wants to be the first billionaire athlete, his youth, and his infinite potential, he could be very well placed beside the likes of Warren Buffet and Bill Gates soon.
NUMBER 5: DAVID BECKHAM
Earnings last 12 months: $42 million
Sport: Football
Making a case for wanting to be popular over being the best is David Beckham. Easily one of the most popular athletes and most recognizable faces in the world today, Beckham has taken advantage of this by gaining huge endorsement deals from Adidas, Armani, and many others. You know you’re popular when you move to Los Angeles and everyone follows. You know you’re popular when you move into a different league, cause a global stir, and make other athletes like Kobe Bryant contemplate about moving to a different league in another country as well.
NUMBER 2: KIMI RAIKKONEN
Earnings last 12 months: $45 million
Sport: Car Racing
Though a dismal year for his career, Raikkonen sure must not be feeling bad about his purse. Having an off-year and still being involved in a three-way tie for second place sure is a nice thing to deal with. What more can we say?
NUMBER 2: MICHAEL JORDAN
Earnings last 12 months: $45 million
Sport: Basketball
What do you get if you’re the best and most popular at the same time? You rake in $45 million a year long after you’ve retired, that’s what. Being the most popular athlete in the USA and the best of all time in basketball sure has its perks. The Jordan brand is still selling like hotcakes and is fast approaching the $1 billion dollar mark in sales. Not bad for a retired professional athlete – who happens to be the best of all time.
NUMBER 2: KOBE BRYANT
Earnings last 12 months: $45 million
Sport: Basketball
Yet another basketball phenom has graced this page. The third, actually. Kobe Byant, highly touted as the best in basketball today, has just won his fourth NBA championship and his first Finals MVP. He’s at a high right now. What’s even better? His $21 million salary, various endorsement deals, and Number 24 jersey which is the highest selling jersey right now. And people criticized his change from Number 8 to 24. If he had gotten a nickel for every criticism he’s received, he would have been the richest person alive today.
NUMBER 1: TIGER WOODS
Earnings last 12 months: $110 million
Sport: Golf
A clear winner by a landslide. Soon to become a billionaire athlete, he is who Lebron James should be racing against. Deals with Nike and Accenture more than pad his earnings. He is essentially one of, if not the biggest and richest brand today. All this despite an off year. That pretty much sums up how great these atheletes are – they’re pretty much one of if not the best at what they do, easily the most popular, and even at an off year, they still rake in the biggest amounts of money conceivable to man. That’s what having multiple sources of income can do for you. When one souce falters, the other makes up for it. For us, that is a legacy right there. For them, they’re just doing their job.
