Posted by Adam
Wednesday July 18, 2012
TIGER Woods is no longer the world’s best-paid athlete.
In this year’s Fortunate 50, Sports Illustrated magazine’s ranking of the top-paid U.S. athletes — boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. knocked Woods — who’s reputation took a huge dent when it emerged he’d cheated on his wife with dozens of women — out of the top spot for the first time since the list began in 2004.
Woods dropped into third place after golfer Phil Mickelson nabbed the No. 2 spot. Woods’ estimated endorsement income fell to $54.5 million in 2011 from $60 million in 2010 and $92 million in 2009, the year that ended with his well-publicized sex scandal.
Woods’ cheating scandal cost him several high-profile sponsors, most notably Pepsico’s Gatorade, which ended its deal with Woods in February 2010. He also lost partnerships with General Motors’ Buick, Procter & Gamble’s Gillette razors and AT&T.
However, Nike still pays Woods an estimated $35 million a year. He also still has a deal with video-game maker Electronic Arts, which is believed to be worth $9 million annually.
Woods has not won a major tournament since the scandal broke and has seen his on-course earnings fall sharply. His estimated winnings were just $1.9 million last year, down from $20.5 million during the 2009 golfing season.
Woods’ golfing rival Phil Mickelson is No. 2 on the earnings list, the spot he’s held since 2008. With $3.8 million in winnings and an estimated $57 million in endorsement deals, his earnings are little changed from 2011.
Sports Illustrated magazine’s rankings combine the pay, winnings and endorsement deals from the athletes’ most recently completed season. That means New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who just signed a $100 million, five-year deal that will pay him $40 million in the 2012 season, is not yet on the Fortunate 50 list.
Woods recently got in trouble with his mom!
Kultida Woods was apparently furious when she heard that her superstar son had been getting cozy with a young lady who was busted on suspicion of DUI.
“Kultida was raging at Tiger, ‘What’s the matter with you? Are you crazy?’” a source told American tabloid the National Enquirer. “She said, ‘You need to get your head examined! You’re ruining your life!’
“Kultida screamed, ‘You NEVER change! It’s time for you to grow up!
“She said, ‘If your father knew, he’d be turning in his grave’.”
Tags: tiger woods, top paid athletes
