Forbes

We all know about Tiger Woods, but how many of us have heard of a guy called Floyd Mayweather? Well, Mayweather is the second player in the top fifty players around the world from the list that has been compiled by Forbes, and the reference point is the earning made by them during a year. Well, Tiger Woods leads the pack and it is clear that the controversies surrounding him have not at all diminished his aura in any sense of word, as he made $ 105 million so far in 2010-11.

Do we have any Indian player in the list, no none whatsoever. The only Asian player that figures in the list is the famous Chinese basketball player Yao Ming, and he is there in the list probably owing to the fact that he has started playing basketball out of USA. Had he remained in China one wonders whether he would have been able to make it to the list at all?

Among the famous women players who have found a place for themselves in this list is Maria Sharapova. Underlining fact is that she has not been playing tennis for quite a long time and even then she has been able to make it to the list. Her inclusion is a pointer to the fact that it is her endorsements and visibility outside the game which continues to provide her earning and has been the facilitating device for her. One wonders whether exclusion of Serena Williams from the list is owing to the fact that she does not have a white skin, and a quotient of glamour associated with her persona so she does not have a premium value in the market. Maria incidentally is at the 35 position while the famous cyclist Lance Armstrong is the last player in this list, i.e. he is the fiftieth player.

Would an Indian player above be able to make to this list, could be the logical question! Well, not likely if one were to go by the kind of sports that has been featured in the list. The list is dominated by sports like basketball, football, motorsports etc., and the categories in which India does not have any presence worth to talk about. It is also  a pointer to the fact that cricket does not provide the kind of money at the international levels, which is provided by the sports genre of the likes of basketball, motorsports, golf etc.

By: Suman Rai

Tags: Basketball, Boxing, Floyd Mayweather, Forbes, Forbes Lists, Maria Sharapova, Sports, Sports World, Tiger Woods, World Sports, Yao Ming