There was a time when playing professional sports meant adoration from fans and a very good living. Now star athletes are mega-star, multi-national conglomerates, making ten of millions of dollars a year. Much of this money goes beyond the athletes base salary and includes highly lucrative endorsements deals. By the end of their careers a quarter or half a billion dollars has been made and in the case of professional golfer Tiger Woods, with more than 700 million already earned, a billion dollar career is very possible. Whether or not he makes it there will depend largely on how Woods psychologically weathers the unprecedented media storm following his recent indiscretions.  There are three basketball players in the top ten and one is retired, as Micheal Jordan places fourth despite not having played a game in several years. Pro motorcycle racer Valentino Rossi is perhaps the most anonymous name and when endorsements are excluded, the highest paid athlete was world champion boxer Manny “the Pac-Man” Paquiao.

• 1. Tiger Woods / pro golfer – $110 million
• 2. Kimi Raikonen / formula 1 race car driver – $51 million
• 3. Kobe Bryant / pro basketball player – $45 million
• 4. Micheal Jordan / retired pro bakketball player – $44 million
• 5. David Beckham / pro soccer player  – $42 million
• 6. Lebron James / pro basketball player – $40 million
• 7. Phil Mickelson / pro golfer – $40 million
• 8. Manny Pacquiao / pro boxer – $40 million
• 9. Fernando Alonso / formula 1 race car driver – $40 million
• 10. Valentino Rossi / pro motorcycle racer – $35 million

*all totals are in US dollar and all figures from 2009