Despite his affairs and divorce, and despite his performance in tournaments, Tiger remains one of top sports brands. A rich roster of endorsement deals explains why Tiger Woods in still the most valuable athlete brand in the world despite recently falling out of the top 50 world ranking in golf for the first time in 15 years. Athlete brand values are the amount by which their endorsement income exceeds the average of the top peers in their sport. Although Tiger’s brand value fell to $55 million from $82 million last year, his brand is still $29 million more valuable than the number two athlete, Roger Federer. In June, Tiger added his first sponsor (Kowa Company) since the scandal broke that ultimately led to his divorce. Moving up the ranks fast among the athlete brands is LeBron James, whose brand value rose to $20 million this year from $13 million in 2010. Nike is his biggest deal, worth more than $10 million annually including royalties. James also struck a marketing deal with Fenway Sports Group owner and billionaire John Henry that gave the Miami Heat star a tiny stake in Liverpool, the iconic English soccer club. Full Story here: http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ys-forbes-most_valuable_athlete_brands_100311
