Through television and the growth of the Internet, the top tennis players have truly become global celebrities.  In fact, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Venus Williams have all made it onto the recent Forbes magazine “Celebrity 100” list which ranks the most powerful actors, athletes, chefs and directors based on their media exposure (magazine covers, TV and radio mentions), Web presence (number of Google hits) and earnings.  Maria is number 63, Serena number 87 and Venus number 90.  However, when you sort the list by age, there are only nine members under the age of 25 and four of the nine are athletes, i.e. Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, LeBron James and Michelle Wie.  This is actually not that surprising given that athletes typically peak at a younger age than entertainers.  According to an article in The Journal of Financial Planning, an athlete’s career typically lasts seven to twelve years and peak earning years are before the age of 35.  In addition, top tennis players are on an international stage every week when they are playing a tournament while movie stars only enter the limelight when they have a new film premiering.  Tennis players also become so well-known because TV captures close-ups of their faces multiple times during matches without any helmets or baseball caps to obscure their grimaces and grins.

Related Post:  Show me the Money!

Related Post:  Are Tennis Players Underpaid?