Despite Sex Scandal, Tiger Woods Still World's Richest Athlete

Some of us might have thought that the sex scandal which began last year would slowly, surely and permanently knock Tiger Woods off the top of the earnings board for professional athletes. If you were in doubt that the sex scandal would do it, you surely expected that pathetic play on the golf course all year would do the trick. But if I were a holding a puppet pretending to be Tiger Woods, the puppet would be saying, "Hi haters. I'm still number one."

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Celebrities With Mixed Roots

America has long been a land divided by race. That the son of a black Kenyan father and a white Kansan mother can end up leading all Americans brings with it a symbolic racial unity that inspires many. However, President Barack Obama isn't the only public figure whose roots come from mixed soil. Many celebs are multiracial, though not all advertise it.

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Celebrities With Mixed Roots

Barack Obama
Claim to Fame:The first president of the United States with African roots.
Heritage: Black Kenyan father, Caucasian mother
Identifies: African-American

Celebrities With Mixed Roots

Alicia Keys
Claim to Fame: Multi-platinum-selling international music artist
Heritage: Italian and Irish mother, African-American father
Identifies: African-American

Members' Take: Her move from songbird to Bond girl

Celebrities With Mixed Roots

Derek Jeter
Claim to Fame: New York Yankees All-Star shortstop
Heritage: Caucasian mother of Irish/German descent, African-American father
Identifies: African American

Latest off the Boards: Ladies Love This Yankee

Celebrities With Mixed Roots

Selma Hayek
Claim to Fame: The first Mexican national to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress
Heritage: Lebanese father and Spanish mother
Identifies: Latina

Celebrities With Mixed Roots

Mariah Carey
Claim to Fame: Holds the record for most number-one singles for a solo artist in the U.S.
Heritage: Irish mother, Afro-Venezuelan father
Identifies: Has jokingly described herself as a bit of a "mutt."

Members React: Carey & Cannon stir up controversy

Celebrities With Mixed Roots

Halle Berry
Claim to Fame: The first African-American actress to win an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Heritage: Caucasian mother, African-American father
Identifies: African-American

Members React : It's Berry vs. the Paps

Celebrities With Mixed Roots

Ann Curry
Claim to Fame: NBC 'Today Show' news anchor
Heritage: Scottish father, Japanese mother
Identifies: Asian-American

Celebrities With Mixed Roots

Bob Marley
Claim to Fame: Reggae music icon
Heritage: White Jamaican Father, Black Jamaican
Identifies: Jamaican

Celebrities With Mixed Roots

Boris Kodjoe
Claim to Fame: Former actor on the series 'Soul Food' and husband to actress Nicole Ari Parker.
Heritage: His mother is German and his father is from Ghana, West Africa.
Identifies: African-American

Community Asks: More than just a pretty face?

Celebrities With Mixed Roots

Tiger Woods has just found himself at the top of the "Fortunate 50," a list of the top-earning sports figures in all of America. This year, Woods raked in an estimated $90 million in earnings. Of his annual income, roughly $70 million came from endorsements, which is $20 million less than his earnings in 2009. I can't imagine Woods being concerned about the differentials, since his income has been consistently in the tens of millions nearly every one of his years as a professional golfer.

Apparently, the golfers are having all the fun these days. The number two golfer in the world, Phil Mickelson, was second on the list with $62 million in earnings. After these two guys came the usual suspects: Boxer Floyd Mayweather ($60 million), NBA star LeBron James ($46 million) and baseball star Alex Rodriguez ($37 million).

Woods' income is certainly high enough for him to afford the finer things in life. There are reports that he just signed a mortgage on a $54 million mansion and bought an expensive apartment in New York. Perhaps losing $100 million in his divorce to Elin Nordegren hasn't set him back all that much. After all, it's roughly a year's pay to correct five years worth of bad choices. It seems that Tiger has reached a point in his life where making money is not nearly as important as winning titles and enjoying himself. Lets hope he also finds himself in the process.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.