Tiger Woods tops; MSD is 16th, Sachin 51st and only 3 Women in Forbes List

Heard of Caddie ? and can you identify this player nicknamed Black Mamba  …

In the inaugural match of Champions trophy, India beat South Africa handsomely thanks to the maiden century of Shikhar Dhawan… Cricket is not the most popular sport internationally ~ football is followed more widely ~ is it because, it is a shortened version or is it because more people can view it ? ~ does the standardization right from the playing arena contribute in  any way ?

There is another game, which not many understand and does not have a standard playing arena…… it is based on playing a number of holes in a given order. A "round" typically consists of 18 holes that are played in the order determined by the course layout. On a standard course of 18 holes, each hole is played once in the round; on a nine-hole course, players may play a "short game" playing each hole once, or a "full round" by playing each hole twice. Playing a hole is initiated by putting a ball into play by striking it with a club on the teeing ground.  It is the game of ‘Golf’. Golf competition is generally played for the lowest number of strokes by an individual, known simply as stroke play, or the lowest score on the most individual holes during a complete round by an individual or team, known as match play.

And the highest earning athlete of 2012  according to Forbes is Tiger Woods.  Tiger Woods had a dramatic fall from grace after his 2009 car crash. He lost five sponsors, $50 million in annual income, his place atop the world golf rankings and his marriage. But with six victories over the last 12 months, Woods is back at No. 1 on the course and on Forbes’ annual ranking of the world’s highest-paid athletes; if you recall it was Floyd Mayweather who was  ranked first last year. Forbes estimates that Woods pulled in $78.1 million over the last year from prize money, endorsements, appearance fees and golf course design work. He now has 78 career PGA Tour wins, only four short of the all-time record held by Sam Snead.

On a different ground, US-headquartered Indian IT services major Cognizant has been ranked at 12th place on a Forbes list of America's 25 fastest growing tech companies, which has been topped by business networking site LinkedIn. Social networking giant Facebook is ranked second, followed by global IT major Apple at the third place.

If you are wondering what these listings are all about, headquartered in New York, Forbes is an American business magazine owned by Forbes, Inc. Published biweekly, it features original articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. Forbes also reports on related subjects such as technology, communications, science, and law. The magazine is well known for its lists, including its lists of the richest Americans (the Forbes 400), highest-paid stars under 30,and its list of billionaires. The motto of Forbes magazine is "The Capitalist Tool". Its editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes and its CEO is Mike Perlis.

The great Indian icon Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, is far behind Tiger Woods  with earnings of $31.5 million.   MSD is ranked at 16th place on Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes. According to Forbes,  31-year-old Dhoni moved up 15 positions this year.

37-year-old Tiger Woods with  $78.1 million is number one followed by Tennis starRoger Federer at $71.5 million. Kobe Bryant, American professional basketball player, third at $61.9 million. Sachin Tendulkar is 51. This year’s 100-strong list features just three women led by Tennis ace Maria Sharapova, who ranks No 22 with earnings of $29 million. Sharapova is joined by No 68 Serena Williams, who raked in $20.5 million, including $8.5 million in prize money. China’s Li Na ranks 85th overall with earnings of $18.2 million.

Last year it was boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. nicknamed “Money.” He fought twice during the previous 12 months, knocking out Victor Ortiz in September and winning a unanimous decision in May against Miguel Cotto. He spent less than one hour in the ring to dispatch his two foes ~ and his combined payday for the bouts stood at : $85 million.  Mayweather maximized his earnings by also acting as his own fight promoter through his company Mayweather Promotions. He collects all of the revenue from tickets, pay-per-view and sponsorships and covers the costs, including the purse for his opponent.

In golf,  you would have seen a person accompanying the golfer, carrying the equipments – he is ‘Caddie’.  Technically, Caddie not only carries a player's bag and clubs but also gives insightful advice and moral support. There are some Caddies who earn very high.

The one at the start of the post is ‘Kobe Bean Bryant’  an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).  He is now ranked 3^rd in the Forbes list.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

7^th June 2013.