Highest earning athlete

Professional golfer Tiger Woods has been off his game since his extramarital affairs were exposed last year, but he's still the world's highest earning athlete, according to the 2010 rankings.
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Woods claimed the top spot on a US list of 50 athletes for the seventh consecutive year, though his total earnings fell 10 per cent to £59.53 million, according to Sports Illustrated.

His total is also down 40 per cent from £84.15m in 2008.

The US magazine publishes separate lists for US and global athletes, but you can see the overall top 10 at the bottom of the article.

Tennis star Roger Federer, at £40.63m, bumped football player David Beckham from the top spot he had held the last two years on the international list.

On that international list, Federer jumped from number nine last year as his earnings doubled, while Beckham slipped to number three at £26.64m, behind FIFA world player of the year Lionel Messi at £28.95m.

Rounding out the international top five were Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo (£26.31m) and boxer Manny Pacquiao (£24.99m).

Federer was second overall in the rankings but Beckham is only seventh.

Overall, the average earnings for the entire US list of 50 athletes rose 11 per cent to a record £17.25m, and were up 1.7 per cent to £19.7m for 20 international stars.

Woods's earnings for the 2010 list are comprised of £13.5m in earnings and £46.08m in endorsements from such sponsors as Nike Inc and Electronic Arts Inc. Woods's endorsement earnings fell £14.48m from last year's list.

Woods's personal life took centre stage for fans after a car accident outside his Florida home last November brought to light extramarital affairs and led him to make a public apology. He has played several tournaments since his April return from a self-imposed, five-month exile but has yet to win.

Rival golfer Phil Mickelson came in second on the 2010 US list (third overall) at £40.56m, and the US top 10 included four players from the NBA, led by LeBron James at number four (£30.12m).

The US top 10 also included boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr (number three at £39.64m), two Major League Baseball stars, including Alex Rodriguez at number five (£24.34m), and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning of the National Football League (number nine at £20.28m).

Basketball player Allen Iverson, number eight on last year's US list, dropped entirely out of the top 50.

Tennis player Maria Sharapova was the only female athlete to make either list, ranking number 20 on the international list at £13.1m.

Overall Top 10

1. Tiger Woods - Golf (£59.527,723)

2. Roger Federer- Tennis (£40,627,103)

3. Phil Mickelson - Golf (£40,556,493)

4. Floyd Mayweather Jr. - Boxing (£39,636,452)

5. LeBron James - Basketball (£30,117,628)

6. Lionel Messi - Football (£28,946,700)

7. David Beckham - Football (£26,640,962)

8. Cristiano Ronaldo - Football (£26,312,100)

9. Manny Pacquiao - Boxing (£24,993,547)

T10. Alex Rodriguez - Baseball (£24,335,598)

T10. Ichiro Suzuki - Baseball (£24,335,598).