Female Athlete's Star Power

AOL is asking subscribers to voice their opinion about tennis star Maria Sharapova. The poll asks:

Beauty + Talent = Tons of Cash
She's Top-Paid Female Athlete
Is Sharapova Worth So Much?

Seeing this made me wonder, would anyone ask this of Tiger Woods? Or of Shaquille O'Neal?

Athletes have a short window of opportunity to make money. And as younger and younger athletes emerge, that window seems to close even faster in some sports.

But the real bottom line in all of this is marketing -- which athletes can get YOU to purchase one of their sponsors products.

Maria Sharapova sells mobile phones, wristwatches, cameras, handbags and jewelry, automobiles, perfumes, tennis racquets, shoes, and clothing. Last year she earned more than $25 million dollars.

Clearly her sponsors think she is worth the money.

So how do her earnings rank against some of the male stars?











Maria Sharapova ..................... Tiger Woods
$25,421,283 ........................... $97,628,024












Maria Sharapova ................... Shaquille O'Neal
$25,421,283 ......................... $34,000,000


For more on Maria Sharapova go to:

The Highest Paid Female Athlete On The Planet; Why Sharapova Is So Hot
Maria Sharapova Is One of the Best Tennis Players in the
World, a Moneymaking Machine ... and a Future Icon