To play sports you must love the game you are playing. If you love it enough, you can become truly great at it and with this, comes the ability to make a lot of cash. Who are the athletes that stand out in the crowd as far as money and success? Here is a list of the top 10 highest paid athletes in 2014. How much would you enjoy getting paid like these people do? If money is the key to happiness, these guys must surly be walking on air.

To play sports you must love the game you are playing. If you love it enough, you can become truly great at it and with this, comes the ability to make a lot of cash. Who are the athletes that stand out in the crowd as far as money and success? Here is a list of the top 10 highest paid athletes in 2014. How much would you enjoy getting paid like these people do? If money is the key to happiness, these guys must surly be walking on air.

What would you do if you could be playing a game that you love and making millions per year to do it? It is all a part of the game and along with these major dollars per year; you have your name in lights. The world knows your name and everyone knows your story whether you want them to or not. However, I don’t think it is such a bad trade off. Loving your job is important so that you wake up and want to go to work everyday. What better way to make a living than to play the games that you love to play. It is apparently the key to a successful bank account and it adds you to the top 10 highest paid athletes in 2014 list.

1. Tiger Woods – Golfer

It should not come as a surprise to anyone that Tiger Woods is in the number one spot. He earns $78.1 million dollars a year and many tournament wins. His prize money has grown, as has his endorsements. He has been number one on the World Golf Rankings and can make more than $10 million dollars just for putting in appearances. He earns a $13.1 million dollar salary. His endorsements are what put him at the top of the list at $65 million dollars worth per year.

2. Roger Federer – Tennis Player

Federer has ten sponsors that pay him over $40 million yearly and contribute to his $71.5 million dollar yearly income. His sponsors include Nike, Wilson, Rolex, and Credit Suisse, as well as Moet & Chandon. He has the most tennis records for singles Grand Slam wins and the most career prize money earned which comes in at a total of $77 million dollars. That is a lot of prize money earned.

3. Kobe Bryant - Basketball Player

He has one of the highest paying salaries in the NBA and earning him almost $61.9 million a year. He has been part of the All-NBA for many consecutive years and is on the all time NBA scoring list bypassing one other player known as Wilt Chamberlain. His endorsements include Mercedes-Benz, Panini, Nike, Leveno, and Coca-Cola.

4. LeBron James – Basketball Player

He won his first NBA title, a second Olympic Gold, and his third league MVP Award in 2012. He is part of the NBA Hall of Fame after winning the fourth MVP Award after the 2012-13 seasons. All of which has earned him a total yearly income of $59.8 million from his salary and various endorsements, which is mostly his Nike shoes. He was able to outsell other NBA competitors. No wonder he is dubbed King James.

5. Drew Brees – Football Player

The New Orleans Saints give Brees a $40 million dollar a year salary and his endorsements give him $11 million dollars which brings his total amount per year to somewhere in the neighborhood of $51 million dollars a year to play football. He has had a Super Bowl title and six Pro Bowl selections. His endorsements are perhaps the most impressive within the NFL because they include Procter & Gamble, Pepsi, Verizon, Wrangler and Nike. He also has the Brees’ Dream foundation to which he has personally given $17 million to charitable causes in New Orleans, West Lafayette/Perdue communities, as well as some academic institutions.

6. Aaron Rodgers – Football Player

Rodgers has a total earnings that equal $49 million a year thanks to his $43 million dollar salary and his endorsements that equal $6 million. He is the highest paid NFL football player and plays for the Green Bay Packers. He has one of the highest passer ratings and one of the lowest interception percentages for quarterbacks. He is endorsed by State Farm and Nike.

7. Phil Mickelson- Golfer

After his salary of $4.7 million and endorsements that value $44 million Mickelson banks about $48.7 million a year. He is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame due to his 41 PGA victories and $70 million dollars worth in prize money to match his four major titles. He is from Arizona and has endorsements from KPMG, Barclay’s, Callaway, Rolex, and Exxon backing him. He also promotes the psoriatic arthritis drug called Enbrel with Amgen/Pfizer because of his diagnosis with the disease. He has had positive results while taking it.

8. David Beckham – Retired Soccer Player

With a total yearly earnings of $47.2 million dollars and a salary of $5.2 million he retired from professional soccer after 21 years. He has won many league titles and at one time donated his whole salary to a children’s family. However, do not worry. He has sponsorships from H&M, Adidas, Breitling, and Samsung to compensate for the donated loss.

9. Cristiano Ronaldo - Soccer Player

Ronaldo is the man who broke Messi’s consecutive streak. He won the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2013 after being runner up to Messi the year before. He now has a salary that is set at $23 million dollars because he has had 60 goals in 55 games. His contract for the $23 million is good through the 2014/2015 season. His image rights so far are 60% of the profits and this Portuguese star gets the other half of his base salary of $44 million a year from sponsors and endorsements.

10. Lionel Messi – Soccer Player

Number 10 on the list still makes an amazing $20.2 million dollar salary which becomes $41.3 million total per year. It is more money than most of us will see in our lifetime. He does it by being great at soccer. In 2012, he scored 91 goals which broke a record that was 40 years old. This Argentina player has won the FIFA’s World Player of the Year over a consecutive time which earned him another slot in the record books. Needless to say Barcelona approved of it and he now makes his current salary which is good through 2018. He is also the second soccer player to get support from Adidas.