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Who are The Most Powerful and Highest Paid Sports Celebrities 2010 - Is Ronaldo the most famous celebrity in football?

Updated on January 19, 2012

The Most Powerful and the Highest Paid Sports Celebrities 2010


Men love sports, no doubt about it. Men love sports more than they love their wives, girlfriends or the tv remote. I'm sure some men might say otherwise, but they would be lying.. specially about the tv remote. To make men choose between sports and the tv remote is just unfair, inconsiderate, or just plain cruel.


The tv remote is one piece of technology that no self-respecting man can live without. The tv remote is men's life-support. Men will just wither away in their seats watching the same channel day in day out rather than stand up and change the television channel manually--that's assuming, of course, they know that there is a manual button to push to change the channel. It's a possibility.


And sports? Are you kiddin' me? Men cannot survive without sports. Sports give them hours and hours of pure entertainment and a reason to drink lots and lots of beer... not that they need a reason at all, but it's better to have one nonetheless.


So without further ado, let me present the most powerful sports celebrities and the highest paid of them all.


Forbes The Celebrity 100


Forbes The Celebrity 100, released every year in June, is also dubbed as The World's Most Powerful Celebrities. The Celebrity 100 is a measure of power based on money and fame.

  • Earnings estimates include income from films, television shows, endorsements, books and other entertainment ventures and are calculated between June 2009 and June 2010. Additional sources include Billboard, Pollstar, Adams Media Research, The Nielsen Company and SNL Kagan.
  • Fame is calculated using Web hits on Google Blog Search, TV/radio mentions on LexisNexis, overall press mentions on Factiva and the number of times a celebrity's image appeared on the cover of 25 consumer magazines. Social rank is calculated using metrics like Facebook friends and fans as well as Twitter followers.



The Ten Most Powerful Sports Celebrities in 2010 in Forbes Celebrity 100 are:

No. 1 - Tiger Woods

This year, although Tiger Woods' earnings went down slightly from last year's $110 million to $105 million, Tiger Woods remains the most powerful sports celebrity holding on his No. 5 ranking in The Celebrity 100.  Considering Tiger Woods' fall from global sports icon to tabloid fodder, and with Accenture, AT&T and Pepsi dropping him as a pitchman like a hot potato, he remains the highest-paid athlete in the world, thanks to huge deals with Nike, Electronic Arts and Upper Deck.



No. 2 - Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant came in as No. 14 with $48 million, a drop from his No. 10 ranking in 2009.

Kobe Bryant signed a three-year, $83.5 million extension in April with the Los Angeles Lakers that will make him the highest-paid player in the NBA. He will be the second player in NBA history with a $30 million salary, the first being Michael Jordan in the late '90s. His salary this past year was $23 million. Bryant led the Lakers to their fifth title since 2000. Everybody likes a winner, and Bryant's jersey is the NBA's top seller in the U.S., China and Europe.


No. 3 - Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan came in as No. 20 with $55 million, a drop from his No. 18 ranking in 2009.

Basketball's greatest player realized his dream of becoming an NBA owner this year when he became the majority shareholder in the Charlotte Bobcats. Jordan will be calling the shots for a franchise coming off its first playoff appearance ever. Jordan still has deals with Gatorade, Hanes and Upper Deck, but Nike is MJ's gravy train. Brand Jordan is a $1 billion business for Nike.


No. 4 - LeBron James

LeBron James came in as No. 28 with $43 million, a drop from his No. 19 ranking in 2009.

LeBron James snagged his second straight MVP award this year as the NBA's top player, yet his Cleveland Cavaliers team was bounced from the playoffs by the Boston Celtics. James earned $15.8 million from the Cavs and almost twice that through endorsements. His biggest deal is with Nike, and he signed an extension this year that pays more than $10 million per year. James added McDonald's to his endorsement portfolio in January in a deal worth an estimated $4 million annually.


No. 5 - Roger Federer

Roger Federer came in as No. 29 with $43 million, a two notch drop from his No. 27 ranking in 2009.

It was a year to remember for Roger Federer as he reached the finals of all four Grand Slam tourneys in 2009 and captured the titles at the French Open (which completed his career Grand Slam) and Wimbledon (which gave him the record for most Grand Slam titles ever at 15). Federer has amassed the most impressive endorsement portfolio in sports, including Credit Suisse, Gillette, Mercedes-Benz, Nike, Rolex and Wilson, among others. He has earned a record $56 million in career prize money.


No. 6 - Floyd Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather came in as No. 31 with $65 million.

"Money" Mayweather returned to the boxing ring last year after a 21-month hiatus. Mayweather earned $25 million in his comeback bout in September against Juan Manuel Marquez. He earned an even bigger payday—$40 million—for his 36 minutes of work against "Sugar" Shane Mosley this May. The Mosley fight generated 1.4 million pay-per-view buys, making it the second most lucrative non-heavyweight fight after Mayweather's 2007 win over Oscar De La Hoya.


No. 7 - David Beckham

David Beckham came in as No. 36 with $44 million, a drop from his No. 28 ranking last year.

Becks suffered a torn Achilles tendon in March that sidelined him for this year's World Cup in South Africa. It was a big disappointment for Beckham, who has 115 appearances for England's national team, the second-most of all time. He has used his time off to lobby for bringing the World Cup to England in 2018. Beckham's most lucrative endorsement deal continues to be Adidas, which is now using him as the face of two lifestyle lines, Essentials and ObyO. Beckham is working on his own line of underwear and grooming projects to be released later this year.


No. 8 - Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson came in as No. 45 with $46 million, a drop from his No. 36 ranking last year.

All eyes were on Tiger Woods when he returned to golf at the Masters in April, but Phil Mickelson stole the show with his third Masters win, worth $1.35 million. It was a huge comeback for Lefty, who has struggled with his play and faced challenges off the course too—both his wife and mother were diagnosed with breast cancer. Only Woods and Vijay Singh have earned more prize money during their careers than Mickelson's $59 million.


No. 9 - Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo, the most famous football celebrity these days, came in as No. 48 with $36 million.

Last June Real Madrid paid a record $132 million transfer fee to Manchester United for the rights to Ronaldo. The 2008 FIFA Player of the Year did not get a cut of the transfer money, but he was rewarded with a six-year deal worth $18 million annually. Ronaldo is challenging David Beckham as the most marketable player in soccer. His biggest deal is with Nike; it pays Ronaldo $8 million annually.


No. 10 - Alex Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez came in as No. 49 with $36 million.

A-Rod can lay claim to the two biggest contracts in the history of baseball. His current 10-year, $275 million deal pays him $33 million in 2010. He bounced back from his admission of steroid use and a hip injury early in 2009 to lead the New York Yankees to their 27th World Series title. The win and his strong performance helped A-Rod shed the label of not performing under pressure. A-Rod has deals with Nike, Topps and Rawlings, but earns relatively little off the field.


The Highest-earning American and International Athletes 2010

For the seventh consecutive year, Sports Illustrated (SI.com) has compiled a list of the 50 top-earning American athletes, as well as 20 highest earning international athletes by salary, winnings, endorsements and appearance fees. The average earnings of those on the list have reached an all-time high of $26.2 million (up 11 percent from '09). Earnings are calculated based on:

  • Salaries, winnings and bonus figures from players' associations, tour records, agents and news reports.
  • Endorsement estimates from Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, other sports-marketing executives and analysts, and agents.
  • Salaries based on current or most recently completed seasons (exception: 2010 for NFL). For winnings-based sports (golf, auto racing, tennis), 2009 calendar year amounts used. Boxing purses are from July '09 to June 2010.


Here are the Five Highest Paid Athletes in the following sports: golf, tennis, hockey, soccer, basketball, baseball and football.


Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Vijay Singh
Vijay Singh
 Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson
DAVIS MILTON LOVE III
DAVIS MILTON LOVE III
JIM FURYK - all photos from wikipedia
JIM FURYK - all photos from wikipedia

Five Highest Paid Golfers 2010


1. Tiger Woods ($105 million) - Tiger Woods is about to hit the 1 billion mark in career earnings. Coming back after a disastrous spell on his personal life, Woods is still very much a celebrated sportsman and one of the world’s greatest players the sport has ever seen. On October 31, 2010, Woods lost the world number 1 ranking to Lee Westwood.



2. Vijay Singh ($62 million) - Vijay Singh sits calmly at second place with some $62 million as earnings during his 28-year career.



3. Phil Mickelson ($57 million) - Mickelson is 6th in the money leaders race. He finished first in the Masters tournament, which is also his best showing in the PGA Tour for 2010. Mickelson and Jim Furyk are both in the top ten of the tour’s money leaders rankings.



4. Jim Furyk ($45 million) - 2010 FedEx Cup champion and 2010 PGA Tour Player of the Year. He ranked in the top-10 for over 350 weeks between 1999 and 2010.



5. Davis Love III ($39 million) - Love has won 20 events on the PGA Tour. On November 9, 2008, he won his 20th career PGA Tour tournament, at the Children's Miracle Network Classic. This win gave him a lifetime exemption on the tour, at the age of 44.



Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
 Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
 Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Andy Roddick - all photos from wikipedia
Andy Roddick - all photos from wikipedia

Five Highest Paid Tennis Players 2010


1. Roger Federer ($36,000,000) - Roger Federer has accumulated a total of 15 Grand Slam titles which have been reason enough for his lucrative deals and career prize money. As of 28 November 2010, he is ranked World No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).



2. Maria Sharapova ($22,500,000) - Maria Sharapova is one of the tennis players who have a number of sponsors backing her up despite various injuries suffered as of late. Adding to her earnings is the fact that she has won three Grand Slam titles already. She is currently ranked World No. 14.



3. Rafael Nadal ($20,000,000) - Rafael Nadal, while still relatively young, already has six Grand Slam titles to his name. He has an impressive career that many tennis experts believe is just the start of a glowing career. He regained the World No.1 ranking on June 7, 2010 after winning his fifth French Open title.



4. Serena Williams ($18,000,000) - Serena Williams is the other Williams sister who has made waves in the world of women’s tennis. In fact, she has been noted to have acquired the highest career prize money ever won by a female professional athlete so far. She is currently ranked World No. 4 in singles and No. 5 in doubles with sister Venus Williams.



5. Andy Roddick ($16,000,000) - Andy Roddick has been performing well since he entered the world of professional tennis. Unfortunately, almost every time he reached the final round of a tournament, Roger Federer has been able to defeat him, making Roddick win one Grand Slam title to date. As of November 12, 2010, he is ranked World No. 8 by the ATP rankings.



Vincent Lecavalier
Vincent Lecavalier
Sidney Crosby
Sidney Crosby
 Evgeni Malkin
Evgeni Malkin
Alex Ovechkin
Alex Ovechkin
Chris Drury - photos from wikipedia
Chris Drury - photos from wikipedia

Five Highest Paid Hockey Players 2010

The salary caps in the National Hockey League change every season, putting a control over the amount of money each player can receive from the team owners.Here are the five top earners among hockey players in 2010, with most of them sharing the same amount with another.


1. Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay ($10 million) - a Canadian professional hockey centre and the captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning.



2. Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh ($9 million) - a Canadian professional ice hockey player and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins.




3. Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh ($9 million) - Popularly known as Geno, is a Russian professional ice hockey center and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins.




4. Alex Ovechkin, Washington ($9 million) - Russian professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Washington Capitals.




5. Chris Drury, New York Rangers ($8.05 million) - Captain of the New York Rangers. He is sometimes known by the nickname "McDrury".



Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi
David Beckham
David Beckham
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Kak
Kak
Ronaldinho - all photos from wikepedia
Ronaldinho - all photos from wikepedia

Five Highest Paid Soccer Players in the World 2010


1. Lionel Messi ($44,000,000) - Argentine demigod and reigning FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi has ridden a mythic year to the No. 2 spot of the Sports Illustrated 20 highest-earning International athletes, making him, at 22, the youngest and the highest-paid soccer player in the world. Messi plays as a striker for Spanish champions Barcelona.


2. David Beckham ($40,500,000) - David Beckham might not play in Europe anymore but he still maintains his position as the world's best paid footballer. Beckham signed a five-year contract with MLS club LA Galaxy in 2007. David Beckham also ranked as No. 36 in this year's Forbes Celebrity 100.


3. Cristiano Ronaldo ($40,000,000) - 25-year-old Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo, who earns $17.06 million per year as a forward for Spanish football club Real Madrid. Ronaldo, who also captains the Portuguese national team, is the most expensive soccer player in history. Real Madrid bought him from English club Manchester United in 2009 for a cool $132 million.


4. Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite ($25,100,000) - Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, more commonly known as Kaka to fans, rounds out the top five. Kaka, 27, hails from Brazil and plays as a midfielder for Real Madrid this year. Before teammate Ronaldo’s Real Madrid deal, Kaka also spent time at the top of the highest-paid players list.



5. Ronaldinho ($23,000,000) - Plays for AC Milan. Ronaldinho might not be the player he was at FC Barcelona, but the 29-year-old remains one of the top earners in football. The World Cup and Champions League winner is ranked as the fifth highest paid footballer in the world.


LeBron James
LeBron James
 Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Wade
Dwight Howard  - all photos from wikipedia
Dwight Howard - all photos from wikipedia

Five Highest Paid Basketball Players 2010



1. LeBron James ($45,779,912) - Plays for Miami Heat (NBA). King James left millions on the table by choosing to bolt Cleveland for Miami.




2. Shaquille O'Neal ($36,000,000) - Free agent. No matter where Shaq ends up next season, he is easily the all-time NBA leader in total salary: Over an 18-year career, he has earned more than $290 million.




3. Kobe Bryant ($33,034,375) - Plays for Los Angeles Lakers (NBA). Kobe now has something else in common with Michael Jordan. His extension has him due to earn $30 million in 2013-14. The only other player ever to earn that much in one season? Jordan.




4. Dwyane Wade ($27,779,912) - Plays for Miami Heat (NBA). Wade became the biggest star in free agency, convincing LeBron James and Chris Bosh to sign with Miami. While Wade took less money to stay in South Beach, he should more than make up for it in endorsements.




5. Dwight Howard ($27,202,590) - Plays for Orlando Magic (NBA). No Finals return, but Superman has been busy with another cause: raising money for Haiti earthquake relief. He started his own fund and kicked in $100,000 targeted for kids in the ravaged nation.



Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez
CC Sabathia
CC Sabathia
John Lackey
John Lackey
 Vernon Wells
Vernon Wells
Albert Pujols - all photos from wikipedia
Albert Pujols - all photos from wikipedia

Five Highest Paid Baseball Players 2010


1. Alex Rodriguez ($37,000,000) - Plays for New York Yankees (MLB). A-Rod may be baseball's highest-paid player, but even he is feeling the real estate slowdown. He and his ex-wife recently unloaded their one-acre, six-bedroom estate in Florida for $8.5 million -- one-third less than the purchase price.


2. CC Sabathia ($26,500,000) - Plays for New York Yankees (MLB). The Yankees' ace paid $15 million in cash for his 12,000-square foot mansion in Bergen County, N.J., last year. His neighbors include Stevie Wonder, Chris Rock, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Mary J. Blige.


3. John Lackey ($21,700,000) - Plays for Boston Red Sox (MLB). If the BoSox are at all worried over the Texan's bad elbow, they sure didn't show it -- the first year of his five-year, $82.5 million deal is the priciest, with an $18 million salary and a $3.5 million signing bonus.


4. Vernon Wells ($21,250,000) - Plays for Toronto Blue Jays (MLB). The signature that keeps on giving: Wells' seven-year, $126 million extension in '06 included a $25.5 million signing bonus. The Jays' slugger just collected the last $8.5 million installment in March.


5. Albert Pujols ($21,000,000) - Plays for St. Louis Cardinals (MLB). We'll see if Pujols is worth, as Bobby Cox suggested, $50 million a year. What is clear is that the Cardinals' slugger will become the second athlete in history to sign a second deal in excess of $100 million.




Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Matthew Stafford
Matthew Stafford
 Eli Manning
Eli Manning
Philip Rivers
Philip Rivers
 Terrell Suggs
Terrell Suggs

Five Highest Paid Football Players 2010


1. Peyton Manning ($30,800,000) - Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts (NFL). Should more companies hitch their wagons to Peyton? The clean-cut quarterback has replaced Tiger as America's best sporting role model, according to results of a recent 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll.



2. Matthew Stafford ($27,650,000) - Quarterback, Detroit Lions (NFL). Detroit pays out the Lions share this year of the guaranteed money in the deal it handed last year's No. 1 draft pick -- its second-year quarterback will get a combined $26.5 million in bonuses in 2010.



3. Eli Manning ($26,500,000) - Quarterback, New York Giants (NFL). Eli recently released cash-strapped St. Vincent's Hospital from its multi-year endorsement deal with him; the Giants' quarterback continues to do pro bono work and fundraising for the Manhattan facility.



4. Philip Rivers ($25,850,000) - Quarterback, San Diego Chargers (NFL). In March, the Chargers' quarterback collected $13 million of his $19.6 million signing bonus from the six-year, $92 million deal he inked last summer; he'll get another $6 million option bonus next February.



5. Terrell Suggs ($24,975,000) - Linebacker, Baltimore Ravens (NFL). Suggs collected a $23 million option bonus in March after perhaps the worst season of his career. "Rest assured," the linebacker told the Baltimore Sun, "it will never happen again."



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