When it comes to earnings power in pro sports, the battle of the sexes is anything but.
Though women have made significant strides, a bulletproof glass ceiling still exists. Proof: The world's 10 top-earning male athletes out-earned the world's top-earning female athletes by more than 4-to-1 last year.
Collectively, the male athletes took home an estimated $483 million between June 1, 2007, and June 1, 2008, compared to the females' far less impressive $118 million haul.
Topping the list once again is golf sensation Tiger Woods, who banked $115 million over the 12-month period. By comparison, the top-earning female athlete, tennis' Maria Sharapova, took in only $26 million during the same period.
Though knee surgery takes Woods out of the game for the remainder of the 2008 season, the world's top-ranked golfer left on a high note. Among his recent achievements: a ninth PGA Player of the Year award, a seventh Vardon Trophy and a third U.S. Open championship.
Off the links, Woods parted ways with long-time sponsor American Express, but still has sizable endorsement deals with Nike, Accenture, Buick and Gillette. More recently, he added a five-year agreement for his own line of Gatorade drinks to his already impressive resume. In July, Forbes predicted Woods was on track to become a billionaire by 2010.
David Beckham places No. 2 on the list. The now-stateside soccer star raked in $50 million over the course of the year, despite injuries that sidelined him for much of his first season with the Los Angeles Galaxy. He is also widely credited with generating media attention and fan interest in a sport that had received little of either in the U.S.
Though the English phenom's base salary with the United States soccer team was only $5.5 million, the figure more than doubled when his cut of the team's ticket, merchandise and sponsorship revenues were factored in.
Off the soccer field, the tabloid heartthrob and father of three collected paychecks from a slew of corporate sponsors, including Adidas, Motorola, Pepsi, Sharpie and Giorgio Armani.
Tied for third place are basketball legend Michael Jordan and golf star Phil Mickelson. Each banked $45 million during the year period.
No longer a player himself, Jordan makes an income courtside as head of basketball operations for the Charlotte Bobcats. But it's the massive royalty checks he receives from his Jordan brand--now an $800 million a year (in sales) business for Nike--that puts his total earnings in the multi-million dollar stratosphere.
In the last year, Mickelson raked in $10 million on the course and another $35 million off, thanks to appearances and endorsement deals. Among the second-ranked golfer's high-paying sponsors: Callaway, Ford, BearingPoint and Exxon Mobil.
Rounding out the top five is Finnish Formula One driver Kimi Raikkonen, who earned $44 million this past year.
Upon signing a three-year deal with Ferrari ahead of the 2007 season, the athlete commonly dubbed the "Iceman" became the highest-paid driver in the sport. Ferrari's reward: Raikkonen promptly won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship.
Reporting by Kurt Badenhausen