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Woods' endorsements down, as is his popularity, according to two surveys

By Associated Press
Published on
Woods' endorsements down, as is his popularity, according to two surveys

Tiger Woods’ estimated endorsements for 2010 are worth $22 million less than last year, according to Sports Illustrated’s annual analysis of the highest-earning American athletes. Woods is still No. 1 on the list, as he has been for the rankings’ seven years. But his estimated total earnings of more than $90 million are down 30 percent from nearly $128 million two years ago. Rival Phil Mickelson is again No. 2 with total earnings of more than $61 million. His estimated endorsement income is $52 million, compared with $70 million for Woods. Floyd Mayweather Jr., LeBron James, Alex Rodriguez, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning and Dwyane Wade round out the top 10. At the same time, Woods has dropped into a tie with Kobe Bryant as the favorite American sports star. Woods had held the position alone since 2006, but the Los Angeles Lakers guard moved up from fourth last year to grab a share of the top spot, Harris Interactive said this week. LeBron James dropped from third to sixth in the company’s survey of 2,227 adults conducted online from June 14-21, before he left Cleveland to sign with Miami. Retired NBA star Michael Jordan fell from second to seventh. Yankees captain Derek Jeter moved up one spot to third and quarterback Brett Favre went from ninth to fourth. Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning was fifth, up from seventh. New England quarterback Tom Brady, who failed to make the top 10 last year, returned at No. 8, followed by New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees and NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon and St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols dropped out of the top 10. Among female athletes, sisters Serena and Venus Williams were 1-2, followed by race car driver Danica Patrick, retired soccer star Mia Hamm and tennis stars Maria Sharapova and Anna Kournikova. Volleyball player Misty May-Treanor was tied for seventh with gymnast Shawn Johnson, basketball player Lisa Leslie was ninth, and retired tennis players Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova were tied for 10th. Dropping out of the top 10 were basketball’s Candace Parker, golfer Annika Sorenstam, former tennis star Chris Evert and skater Michelle Kwan.