The Money-colored Rivers  

By: Miguel Ernesto Gomez Masjuan  

Tiger Woods still makes the headlines although he hasn’t won a tournament for several months and the declarations of lovers -supposed or real – seem to raise more interest than his recent performances in events, the still appointed as best golfer of the world is the sportsman who more money wins, published Sports Illustrated magazine. 

How is it possible that a man involved in such huge scandal who has been out of the game for some time now without lifting a trophy, still feeds millions to his bank account? For seven years in a row the prestigious magazine placed him on top of its ranking; although Tiger’s revenues dropped 10% in comparison to 2009 and 40% if compared to 2008. 

Despite the "bad publicity", Woods endured in 2009 not less than 90,5 million dollars; but of that swollen figure, only 20,5 came from golf, now an Olympic sport, by the work, and interest of influential members of the International Olympic Committee. The other 70 millions were contributed by Tiger’s sponsoring trademarks, among them Nike and Electronic Arts, the company that created a successful video game with Woods as main character.  

For those who still embrace any doubt on the money handle by one of the most elitist sports in the world, the numbers published by Sports Illustrated indicate that the second North American athlete who more dollars won obtained was not Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, CC Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez or an NFL star, but another golfer: Phil Mickelson, with 61,8.  

The "classification" of non-North American millionaires placed in the first place the Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, the man who more Grand Slam tournaments have won in history (16). His fortune grew in the last months in 61 millions, many times more than the most visible faces of soccer. 

David Beckham could not play with the English team in the World Cup of South Africa –he was probably missed by his team mates, since without him the team had a mediocre performance -; although he was on the bench, very close to Fabio Capello and not just for the sake of it was one of the personalities invited by organizers. His figure, tattoos, his marriage to Victoria interests greatly to certain kind of press and also the companies who sponsor him. This seems to be the only explanation why the star of Los Angeles Galaxy has earned 40,5 million dollars. 

David Beckham headed the best paid list for two years -without counting the North Americans -; but was surpassed by the number one of the soccer universe: Lionel Messi. The Argentinean keeps the debt with his country and it seems that not even his most faithful defenders persist in the idea of comparing him with Diego Armando Maradona. He lacks adding a star in the Argentinean uniform; however, his goals have been fundamental to make the cabinets of Barcelona F.C. grow seven trophies in the last two seasons.  

Without Beckham’s charisma and eccentricity, Lio attracts advertisers who paid him four times more than the Catalan club and reported him 44 millions in only 12 months. 

In the fourth position appears another great artist, rather outside the soccer fields: Cristiano Ronaldo. His only goal in South Africa was work of chance and the terrible North Korean defense, besides when his team needed him the most, the Real Madrid player hardly made the Spanish defense nervous; but CR9 - as he is publicized in the country of the current world champions - is also a machine for making money and the 40 millions he added to his swollen account demonstrate that in sports there are other things more important than winning on the field. 

The predilection of companies seems to be focused in sports like soccer, golf, tennis or formula one. In the investigation published in Sports Illustrated only two non-North American baseball players appeared: the Japanese Ichiro Suzuki, an idol in his country, and the Venezuelan Miguel Cabrera. The so-called "Tiger of Aragua" declared that he had put behind his alcohol problems and that the stability achieved in his home had led him to have a spectacular season. People in Detroit want to believe in him hence Cabrera increased in 20,2 millions his fortune. 

A very interesting tendency and that proves the persistence of the gender discrimination in sports is that among the first 20 names of the ranking, there was only one woman included: the Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, one of the most publicized figures, not precisely for her game in the courts. 

The money-colored rivers still flow for the most commercial athletes who are not always the most successful. In spite of storms for the economic crises, those "rivers" have not lost their direction. Maybe they have suffered some deviation, but their existence reminds us that for some the sport they practice is only a means to obtain the great objective which, regrettably, seems to come closer and closer to the bills of a wide arrange of colors.  

Cubasi Translation Staff