Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. tops SI's Fortunate 50 list for the second consecutive year, as he will earn at least $90M after “just two bouts this year, one earlier this month and the other scheduled for September," according to Daniel Roberts of SI. The $90M figure is also "conservative," as he could make as much as $128M. The May 4 welterweight title bout against Robert Guerrero brought Mayweather a guaranteed purse of $32M, with his PPV cut "yielding at least" another $13M. There are “other notable shifts this year,” with Heat F LeBron James (No. 2) passing Lakers G Kobe Bryant (No. 4). Tiger Woods (No. 5) is “back above" Phil Mickelson (No. 6) -- thanks to $4M more in tour winnings. Findings consist solely of salary, winnings, bonuses and endorsements. SI consulted players’ associations, tour records, online databases, agents and media reports. Endorsement estimates come from a stable of marketing execs, agents and other experts, including Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing. Candidates for the Fortunate 50 must be U.S. citizens or play in a U.S.-based league. Endorsements reflect current deals, and salaries are based on current or most recently completed seasons. For auto racing and tennis, prize money came from the '12 calendar year. Golf earnings are from July 1, 2012 through April 21, 2013. Boxing purses are from August '12 through May '13 (SI, 5/20 issue).
|
SI'S FORTUNATE 50 LIST
|
| |
NAME |
SALARY/WINNINGS
|
ENDORSEMENTS
|
TOTAL
|
| 1 |
Floyd Mayweather Jr. |
$90,000,000
|
$0
|
$90,000,000
|
| 2 |
LeBron James |
$17,545,000
|
$39,000,000
|
$56,545,000
|
| 3 |
Drew Brees |
$40,000,000
|
$7,800,000
|
$47,800,000
|
| 4 |
Kobe Bryant |
$27,850,000
|
$19,000,000
|
$46,850,000
|
| 5 |
Tiger Woods |
$7,839,027
|
$33,000,000
|
$40,839,027
|
| 6 |
Phil Mickelson |
$3,528,630
|
$36,000,000
|
$39,528,630
|
| 7 |
Derrick Rose |
$16,403,000
|
$17,000,000
|
$33,403,000
|
| 8 |
Peyton Manning |
$18,000,000
|
$13,000,000
|
$31,000,000
|
| 9 |
Alex Rodriguez |
$29,000,000
|
$900,000
|
$29,900,000
|
| 10 |
Zack Greinke |
$29,000,000
|
$20,000
|
$29,020,000
|
| 11 |
Dwyane Wade |
$17,182,000
|
$11,500,000
|
$28,682,000
|
| 12 |
Kevin Durant |
$16,670,000
|
$11,000,000
|
$27,670,000
|
| 13 |
Johan Santana |
$25,500,000
|
$800,000
|
$26,300,000
|
| 14 |
Felix Hernandez |
$25,000,000
|
$600,000
|
$25,600,000
|
| 15 |
Vincent Jackson |
$25,160,000
|
$200,000
|
$25,360,000
|
| 16 |
Carmelo Anthony |
$19,500,000
|
$5,800,000
|
$25,300,000
|
| 17 |
Cliff Lee |
$25,000,000
|
$280,000
|
$25,280,000
|
| 18 |
Mario Williams |
$25,000,000
|
$150,000
|
$25,250,000
|
| 19 |
Derek Jeter |
$17,000,000
|
$8,100,000
|
$25,100,000
|
| 20 |
Joe Mauer |
$23,000,000
|
$2,000,000
|
$25,000,000
|
| 21 |
Carl Nicks |
$24,285,000
|
$0
|
$24,285,000
|
| 22 |
CC Sabahia |
$23,000,000
|
$1,000,000
|
$24,000,000
|
| 23 |
Prince Fielder |
$23,000,000
|
$500,000
|
$23,500,000
|
| 24 |
Amar'e Stoudemire |
$19,950,000
|
$3,500,000
|
$23,450,000
|
| 25 |
Ryan Howard |
$20,000,000
|
$3,200,000
|
$23,200,000
|
| 26 |
Tim Lincecum |
$22,000,000
|
$1,000,000
|
$23,000,000
|
| 27 |
Matt Schaub |
$22,450,000
|
$330,000
|
$22,780,000
|
| 28 |
Mark Teixeira |
$22,500,000
|
$225,000
|
$22,725,000
|
| 29 |
Calvin Johnson |
$21,750,000
|
$850,000
|
$22,600,000
|
| 30 |
Matt Kemp |
$22,000,000
|
$400,000
|
$22,400,000
|
| 31 |
Dwight Howard |
$19,536,000
|
$2,400,000
|
$21,936,000
|
| 32 |
Vernon Wells |
$21,000,000
|
$600,000
|
$21,600,000
|
| 33 |
Chris Paul |
$17,780,000
|
$3,800,000
|
$21,580,000
|
| 34 |
Adrian Gonzalez |
$21,000,000
|
$350,000
|
$21,350,000
|
| 35 |
Dirk Nowitzki |
$20,907,000
|
$400,000
|
$21,307,000
|
| 36 |
Miguel Cabrera |
$21,000,000
|
$200,000
|
$21,200,000
|
| 37 |
Pau Gasol |
$19,000,000
|
$2,100,000
|
$21,100,000
|
| 38 |
Justin Verlander |
$20,000,000
|
$600,000
|
$20,600,000
|
| 39 |
Roy Halladay |
$20,000,000
|
$210,000
|
$20,210,000
|
| 40 |
Matt Cain |
$20,000,000
|
$100,000
|
$20,100,000
|
| 41 |
Barry Zito |
$20,000,000
|
$80,000
|
$20,080,000
|
| 42 |
Carl Crawford |
$20,000,000
|
$75,000
|
$20,075,000
|
| 43 |
Joe Johnson |
$19,753,000
|
$200,000
|
$19,953,000
|
| 44 |
Cole Hamels |
$19,500,000
|
$400,000
|
$19,900,000
|
| 45 |
Joey Votto |
$19,000,000
|
$250,000
|
$19,250,000
|
| 46 |
Albert Pujols |
$16,000,000
|
$3,000,000
|
$19,000,000
|
| 47 |
Chris Bosh |
$17,545,000
|
$1,000,000
|
$18,545,000
|
| 48 |
Eli Manning |
$11,500,000
|
$7,000,000
|
$18,500,000
|
| 49 |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. |
$5,816,567
|
$12,600,000
|
$18,416,567
|
| 50 |
Alfonso Soriano |
$18,000,000
|
$200,000
|
$18,200,000
|
NO FAIR-WEATHER COMPANIES ALLOWED: SI’s L. Jon Wertheim notes Mayweather, who currently has no endorsement deals, is a “good-looking guy” and at the “top” of his sport. He asked Mayweather, “Are you surprised more endorsements haven’t come your way?” Mayweather replied, “Not having endorsements, that don't define who I am. I look at the situation like this: Look at every athlete that has a large, long-term endorsement and tell me, have they been at the top longer than me and have they accomplished what I've accomplished? You look at certain guys, they got certain cases, they take a lot of losses and Nike endorsed them. Like I said before, I'm not just any athlete. I feel like I deserve to get the line this year. So I'm not saying that I don't want to be with Nike. I'm not saying I don't want to be with Adidas or Reebok or Under Armour or nothing like that, no Pepsi or Coca-Cola, but you got to pay. You have to pay.” Mayweather served two months in prison last summer and he said, “I got different offers and huge deals when I was locked up, with CEOs from different companies writing me, wanting to do business with me, Fortune 500 companies wanting to do business with me. But my main focus was just coming home and being free” (
SI, 5/20 issue).
CHANGING OF THE GUARD: SI’s Roberts cited experts who said that endorsement contracts “are undergoing a major shift, and it's due to scandal.” Harvard sports law professor Peter Carfagna said, "This whole industry has changed because of ... Lance Armstrong, not so much Tiger or other scandals. He had federal sponsors, like the postal service, and what recourse do they have when it is alleged, now, that he fraudulently induced them at a time when he was doping. He must have given them some rep that he was clean." Roberts asked, “So how do companies now protect themselves when signing a deal with an athlete they believe is squeaky clean?” There are “often ‘clawback clauses’ that allow a sponsor to recoup its investments (even money they already paid a star) if they can prove that the athlete misrepresented himself when the contract was signed.” But that can be “difficult to prove.” In the wake of “so many high-profile athlete scandals, the balance of the reps and warranties are shifting in favor of the companies.” Morals clauses “aren't new, either, but they are getting far stricter.” As long as the company “can prove that the athlete's actions caused disrepute for the company, they can terminate a contract without being sued” (SI.com, 5/15).
ON THE MARKET: NATIONAL FOOTBALL POST’s Jack Bechta, who is an active NFL agent, noted agents "will tell you that one of the biggest issues we have with our clients is setting their expectations for off-field endorsements and income opportunities.” Many NFL players “just don’t get the facial recognition that their counterparts get in baseball and basketball” because of the helmet as part of their uniforms. If NFL players are not the QB and “not constantly talking to the media after every game or practice, you won’t garner household face recognition.” And thus, they "won't get the endorsements.” Meanwhile, the chances of a great player on a losing team signing "national endorsements are slim,” while for a “great player on a bad team in a small market, they are worse.” Players have to “be patient and take their time in building relationships with a company’s decision-makers.” They also must “work at building a brand identity by giving a lot of themselves in the community, with charities and the media” (NATIONALFOOTBALLPOST.com, 5/15).
