The ten highest earning athletes

Scandal-scarred golfer Tiger Woods is still the No.1 paid sportsman in the world, according to Sports Illustrated's eighth-annual compilation of the 50 top-earning American athletes by salary, winnings, endorsements and appearance fees.

The report said that Woods took home a tidy 62.3 million dollars in the past year in winnings and endorsements. Woods earned 2.3 million dollars in winnings and 60 million dollars in endorsements.

Fellow golfer Phil Mickelson finished a close second, with total income of 61.2 million dollars.

The NBA's LeBron James ($44.5 million), NFL's Peyton Manning ($38 million) and Major League Baseball's Alex Rodriguez ($36 million) are the top five among America's top-grossing athletes.

Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, owner of a record 16 Grand Slam titles, led non-Americans on the list and was followed closely by Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao.

Federer kept his top position among non-U.S. athletes despite slipping 14.5 percent to $52.8 million, third overall, while WBO welterweight champion Pacquiao shot 38 percent higher to $52.5 million for fourth overall.

Spanish Formula One driver Fernando Alonso ($45 million), Barcelona's Lionel Messi ($43.8 million) and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo ($38.8 million) rounded out the top five on the international (non-American) top-earners' list.

Click next to view the top ten earners