The Most Valuable Athlete

Brands

By:

Mehdi Nazemi

1. Tiger WoodsBrand Value: $55,000,000Tiger Woods world golf ranking has fallen to No. 49, but he continues to be the top athlete brand thanks to extremely valuable deals with Nike and Electronic Arts.

2. Roger FedererBrand Value: $26,000,000Federer holds the most impressive endorsement portfolio in all of sports with 10 major deals, including a Nike sponsorship that is the most lucrative in all of tennis. He is also the only one of Gillette's original 3 "Champions" to have his deal renewed this year as the brand dropped Tiger Woods and Thierry Henry.

3. Phil MickelsonBrand Value; $24,000,000Mickelson was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis last year. He then signed a deal with Amgen and Pfizer, makers of Enbrel, the drug Mickelson uses to treat his condition.

4. David BeckhamBrand Value: $20,000,000Beckham is nearing the end of his playing career, but he continues to be a huge presence as a global spokesperson. Samsung recently signed Becks to be the company’s global brand ambassador for the Games. Beckham announced a partnership with H&M in July to sell his new line of underwear.

5. LeBron JamesBrand Value: $20,000,000James' global aspirations continued with his investment in soccer club Liverpool in 2010. He added a watch deal with Audemars Piguet to his endorsement portfolio that also includes Coca-Cola, McDonalds, State Farm, Upper Deck and Nike.

6. Kobe BryantBrand Value: $14,000,000Bryant is the NBA's biggest star in China star where he has a popular website and is adored for his championship pedigree. He recently signed on as pitchman for Mercedes-Benz's Smart Car brand in China.

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.Brand Value: $9,000,000Earnhardt Jr. has been featured in numerous music videos by Jay-Z, Kid Rock and Nickelback. He is a rock star among the public joining Bill Elliot as the only driver to win Nascar's most popular driver award for eight consecutive seasons (Elliott won a total of 16 awards).

8. Maria SharapovaBrand Value: $9,000,000Sharapova makes ten times as much from partnership deals like Nike and Cole Haan (where her ballet flat is the top-selling shoe) than she earns on the court. Nike re-signed Sharapova last year to an eight-year deal worth as much as $70 million. It is the biggest endorsement deal ever for a female athlete.

9. Cristiano RonaldoBrand Value: $8,000,000The Real Madrid star counts Nike, Castrol, Clear Shampoo and Banco Espirito as sponsors. Ronaldo has racked up 34 million Facebook fans, more than any other athlete. He also has 4.3 million Twitter followers.

10. Shaun WhiteBrand Value: $7,000,000White is looking for a beverage sponsor to replace Red Bull whose deal expired this year. Current partners include: BFGoodrich, Burton, Oakley, Vail Resorts, Stride, Target and Ubisoft.

Thanks for Your Attention

Reference:www.forbes.com