MS - top 10; highest paid athletes

He is the most popular driver on the grid and practically a living legend. There are catalogs with sections of merchandise dedicated to MS. The guy is big business

 

That'll annoy some of the haters.

http://www.forbes.com/2011/05/31/highest-paid-athletes_slide_10.html

 

Proving one way or the other there is still some mileage left in him.

 

They'll just come on and say how bad Michael is or some garbage. It's getting boring hearing it. Point is the haters have zero traction as he remains the most popular driver in the world. Zing!

 

He was 2nd at one stage in his career wasn't he? Behind woods?

 

No. Michael was #1 and became the first billionaire athelete.

 

Nice... Wonder how much of that he's still got left lol.

 

Doesn't surprise me. He is IMO the best driver ever and his titles prove it. He just is older, and not in a good car anymore. As mentioned, while he was with Ferrari he was the highest payed athlete in the world. Even now his sponsors and merchandise amaze me.

 

He is one of the most popular sports stars around the world, especially in developing countries like China and India which are markets that are becoming more important for sponsors.

 

That part is debatable TODAY.

Where did you come up with that?
There are all kinds of rumors to the effect, but no real proof.

Here we go again, just because you have seven titles does not mean you are the BEST driver ever. You may be the best statistically, but that doesn't necessarily mean you are the best DRIVER ever.
I think in total dollars he was always second to Tiger, but in actual 'salary' he was probably #1. We also never got a clear picture on MS's stock options with Ferrari/Fiat.

 

Anyone can tell MS is still the most popular driver as the media follows him like Sarah Palin. They hang on Michael's every word and every statement is blown into a giant story because the media knows more people follow him therefore the continue to write stories about him. The media has to make $$ too don't they? Vettel, Alonso, and others get media attention, but not the mob-like attention Schumacher commands. The frenzy behind his comeback is as hungry as ever and if anything more hungry because it's not going so well. I guarantee the media prefers seeing him not succeed because everyone on the planet constantly want to know why. How many happy media stories get great ratings?


In 2005, Eurobusiness magazine listed Schumacher is the first billionaire athelete. Michael Jordan is the other and Tiger is not there yet.


And how else does one rate F1 drivers other than statistics? We don't and will never know who is actually the best as no driver has the best car 100% of the time. So statistically, yes, he is the best driver ever. Everything else is conjecture as there is no way to measure such things.

 

To ME he is the best driver ever, and lets be honest, having a lot of titles sure helps the fact....

My statement doesn't dilute the fact that Lauda, Senna, Prost, Villeneuve, etc weren't all great drivers as well.

Also, I have read a few times that total dollars wise, Schumacher did pull in more the Woods in the past.

 

Exactly.

 

I would have been surprised to see a single soccer player make this list, but am shocked that SEVERAL did!
Had no idea...

 

ROFL

And you are calling me a hater?

You just compared the most successfull F1 driver of all times with half-time-quitter of a governor. Geez. Even I wouldn't have done that.

 

Not nearly as boring as hearing some lovelorn cheerleader shaking his pom-poms in Schumi's corner.

 

ftfy

 

The way the media follows her around like a lost puppy, yes! haha, you're not a hater. You're just spirited with disdain for the man for some reason.

hey I like pom-poms! He may be my fav driver, but I give credit where it's due with any driver and team, unlike some who are so filled with disdain that they will never utter another kind word about him yet claim to have been a fan in a previous life. Weird but it's all good.

 

Guys you need to listen to yourselves. All this simply proves is that racing is now not as important as $'s generated.

So why do you guys watch F1 again? Are you all brokers or something.

MS should only be there if he is competitive. He's only just holding his own. If we put the current Miss World in a F1 car, she would probably generate a heck of a lot of money too, or maybe the Miss Porn and she would drive nude, etc. Is that really all F1 has become ... ?

Pathetic way to judge whether somebody has the right to sit in the supposedly the top level of motorsport.
Pete

 

Spot on.

Besides: all salaries of top performers (drivers, athletes, singers, CEOs) are obscene and not something to be proud of

Our society got it all wrong: we should be paying millions of dollars to researchers and doctors and engineers and not to a monkey who can drive a car very fast

<stepping off my soap box now>

 

Totally agree. BUT this this is the internet.

 

You sure? I always thought it was Tiger.

 

True, but; "He who plays in the biggest sand box, can build the biggest castle"