Roger Federer Tops London School Of Marketing's List Of Most Marketable Athletes

Golfer Rory McIlroy, tennis player Andy Murray and Real Madrid's Gareth Bale "were the only British sports stars to make it onto the list of the world's 30 most marketable athletes," according to Matthew Chapman of CAMPAIGN LIVE. Roger Federer topped the list with £50M ($61.2M) of off-court earnings last year and McIlroy was the top-placed Brit with £29M ($35.5M) of sponsorship earnings helping him claim sixth place, according to researchers at the London School of Marketing. The Sports Marketing Power List placed LeBron James in second with endorsements of £44M ($53.8M) last year, and U.S. golfer Phil Mickelson was third after taking home £41M ($50.2M) in marketing deals. Tennis players Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams were the only two female athletes to break into the top 30, with both earning £16.4M ($20M). The three sports that are "most dependent on endorsements" are cricket (with 81% of earnings coming from sponsors), tennis (78%) and golf (75%) (CAMPAIGN LIVE, 1/11).