Tiger Woods found himself at the top of the "Fortunate 50," a list of the top-earning sports figures in all of America. This year, Woods raked in an estimated $90 million in earnings. Of his annual income, roughly $70 million came from endorsements, which is $20 million less than his earnings in 2009. I can't imagine Woods being concerned about the differentials, since his income has been consistently in the tens of millions nearly every one of his years as a professional golfer.
Apparently, the golfers are having all the fun these days. The number two golfer in the world, Phil Mickelson, was second on the list with $62 million in earnings. After these two guys came the usual suspects: Boxer Floyd Mayweather ($60 million), NBA star LeBron James ($46 million) and baseball star Alex Rodriguez ($37 million).
Woods' income is certainly high enough for him to afford the finer things in life. There are reports that he just signed a mortgage on a $54 million mansion and an expensive apartment in New York. Perhaps losing $100 million in his divorce to Elin Nordegren hasn't set him back all that much. After all, it's roughly a year's pay to correct five years worth of bad choices. It seems that Tiger has reached a point in his life where making money is not nearly as important as winning titles and enjoying himself. Lets hope he also finds himself in the process.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.