The Digital Footprints of the PGA Tour’s Top 10

What is PeekScore?: PeekScore is a rank from 1 to 10, assigned to every person. The higher someone’s score, the “more important” they are on the web. In calculating your PeekScore and updating it often, PeekYou takes into account your known presence and activity on the Internet, including but not limited to; your blogging, participation in social networks, the number of your friends, followers, or readers, the amount of web content you create, and your prominence in the news. For first time visitors a more in-depth explanation of what the PeekScore is, and how to increase your own, can be found by clicking through here.

A simple sports list for the PeekScore readership. We decided to see how the world class linksmen in the PGA’s current top 10 measure up in the digital footprint department. We’re not ranking, nor assessing, nor commenting on their golf skills here, nor even the size of their celebrities or endorsements, but instead on their prominence here on the web, as outline above and more in depth here.

Are there any golfers who you would have thought would have a higher PeekScore? Or how about a lower one? Leave us a comment and let us know what you think.

Rank Picture Name PGA Ranking PeekScore
1

Tiger Woods 1 9.96 / 10.00
2

Adam Scott 3 8.43 / 10.00
3

Steve Stricker 8 8.19 / 10.00
4

Luke Donald 6 8.18 / 10.00
5

Rory McIlroy 2 8.17 / 10.00
6

Phil Mickelson 10 8.15 / 10.00
7

Justin Rose 4 8.04 / 10.00
8

Matt Kuchar 9 7.97 / 10.00
9

Brandt Snedeker 5 7.74 / 10.00
10

Louis Oosthuizen 7 6.72 / 10.00

Which of the Past Year’s Top Paid Golfers has the Largest Digital Footprint?

What is PeekScore?: PeekScore is a rank from 1 to 10, assigned to every person. The higher someone’s score, the “more important” they are on the web. In calculating your PeekScore and updating it often, PeekYou takes into account your known presence and activity on the Internet, including but not limited to; your blogging, participation in social networks, the number of your friends, followers, or readers, the amount of web content you create, and your prominence in the news. For first time visitors a more in-depth explanation of what the PeekScore is, and how to increase your own, can be found by clicking through here.

This is a timely list for a couple of reasons: The PGA Championship just wrapped, finding Rory McIlroy its victor, and only days prior Forbes Magazine released their list of the year’s top paid golfers.

To see how these giants of the fairway compare to one another in terms of their earnings you can check the Forbes list, of course, and if you’re dying to see where these men fall in the sport’s greater rankings numerous golf and/or general sports sites can hook you up with those stats. But what we here at the PeekScore blog can and will tell you is how these world classs linksmen measure up to one another in the realm of digital footprints (i.e., their impacts and prominences here in cyberspace, a concept you can find explained in brief above and elaborated on a bit more at the link found here), and we don’t think many will be surprised by who is topping our list.

Are there any top golfers not included below about whose scores you’re curious? Let us know in the comments.

Rank Picture Name Past Year’s Earnings PeekScore
1

Tiger Woods $61.2mil 9.96 / 10.00
2

Adam Scott $11.5mil 8.43 / 10.00
3

Phil Mickelson $46.7mil 8.20 / 10.00
4

Luke Donald $20mil 8.18 / 10.00
5

Rory McIlroy $16.4mil 8.17 / 10.00
6

Ernie Els $22.3mil 8.16 / 10.00
7

Sergio Garcia $16.2mil 8.15 / 10.00
8

Lee Westwood $12.8mil 8.04 / 10.00
9

Matt Kuchar $12.5mil 7.97 / 10.00
10

Bill Haas $16.1 million 7.27 / 10.00

A Comparison of the Online Lives of the World’s Top-Paid Athletes

What is PeekScore?: PeekScore is a rank from 1 to 10, assigned to every person. The higher someone’s score, the “more important” they are on the web. In calculating your PeekScore and updating it often, PeekYou takes into account your known presence and activity on the Internet, including but not limited to; your blogging, participation in social networks, the number of your friends, followers, or readers, the amount of web content you create, and your prominence in the news. For first time visitors a more in-depth explanation of what the PeekScore is, and how to increase your own, can be found by clicking through here.

The inspiration for today’s list could not be simpler: Below are the ten athletes who were highest paid during this past year. In keeping with the kinds of things we get up to here at the PeekScore blog, we’ve decided to see to what degree the respective compensations of these individuals corresponds to their various visibilities, activities, impacts, and presences here in cyberspace (in other words, we’re assessing their digital footprints; a brief explanation of which can be found above, and a more in depth one can be found by clicking through here). We already know that in the case of some of the individuals listed below, there are those out there who don’t believe their athletic abilities alone have gone very far in justifying their arguably unseemly, and objectively handsome, paydays. But what of these athletes’ efforts and abilities to reach their spotty, slouchy lessers out here in the ever-expanding, in both size and import, online realm? The PeekScores provide their answers, scientifically and objectively as always.

Who do you like on this list? Who would you have preferred to see on this list? Who do you believe should be the top earning athletes? Comment and let us know.

Rank Picture Name Earnings this past year PeekScore
1

LeBron James $53 mil 10.00 / 10.00
2

Cristiano Ronaldo $42.5 mil 10.00 / 10.00
3

Kobe Bryant $52.3 mil 9.99 / 10.00
4

David Beckham $46 mil 9.98 / 10.00
5

Tiger Woods $59.4 mil 9.96 / 10.00
6

Roger Federer $52.7 mil 9.58 / 10.00
7

Manny Pacquiao $62 mil 9.28 / 10.00
8

Peyton Manning $42.4 mil 9.1 / 10.00
9

Floyd Mayweather $85 mil 8.74 / 10.00
10

Jeremy Renner $47.8 mil 8.20 / 10.00

PeekScore Competitions: Top Paid Athletes, Male vs. Female

What is PeekScore?: PeekScore is a rank from 1 to 10, assigned to every person. The higher someone’s score, the “more important” they are on the web. In calculating your PeekScore and updating it often, PeekYou takes into account your known presence and activity on the Internet, including but not limited to; your blogging, participation in social networks, the number of your friends, followers, or readers, the amount of web content you create, and your prominence in the news.

A “Battle of the Sexes” seems a bit of a dated concept, we’ll admit. It smacks of the 1970s, when such contests were staged in an effort to commercially exploit the Women’s liberation movement. Some such spectacles had legitimate historical, symbolic significance – such as when Billie Jean King faced off against Bobby Riggs – but in general it seems we’re a bit past such overt “us vs. them” thinking in addressing the various, still vividly existing disparities in our culture in how each gender is regarded and generally treated.

While the PeekScore blog has by no means in the past wholesale resisted passing observation and relatively lighthearted commentary on the realities of our patriarchal world, we’re not here to preach. Really, the pairing of this installment of PeekScore Competitions was inspired by nothing so much as the simple fact that the two groups already existed, all lumped-together, nicely packaged, listed and ready to be used by us.

Back in June, Forbes shared with we of the eternally fascinated middle-class their list of the year’s Top Paid Athletes. We gave these handsomely remunerated sportspersons a moment of our PeekScore time, and all was right with the world. However, at least in part due to the above referenced disparities in our culture (which we promised not to dwell on here), the list was also a de facto list of the year’s top paid male athletes. Aware of this, evidently, Forbes has just released their list of the year’s highest paid female athletes. So, for fun, and because you folks seem to dig our PeekScore rankings of the top-paid thises or thats, and you seem to get a kick out of our competitions pairings, we’ve updated the men’s list’s scores (and they did change some) and pitted the dudes against the ladies.

While we needn’t even leave you to guess over which group made more money (again, we’ll steer clear of further commentary), when it comes to digital footprints it may not be so clear to which team the higher numbers belong. So, let us start by looking at the women.

TOP PAID FEMALE ATHLETES

Rank Picture Name Earnings from July ’10 – July ’11 PeekScore
1

Serena Williams
$10.5 million
10.00 / 10.00
2

Maria Sharapova
$25 million
10.00 / 10.00
2

Danica Patrick
$12 million
9.88 / 10.00
4

Venus Williams
$11.5 million
9.00 / 10.00
5

Caroline Wozniacki
$12.5 million
8.25 / 10.00
6

Kim Clijsters
$11 million
8.25 / 10.00
7

Ana Ivanovic
$6 million
8.24 / 10.00
8

Kim Yu-na
$10 million
8.22 / 10.00
9

Paula Creamer
$5.5 million
8.21 / 10.00
10

Li Na
$8 million
7.27 / 10.00

AVERAGE PEEKSCORE: 8.73

This list, dominated by tennis players, shows a very web savvy bunch. Enormously popular Twitter accounts and Facebook pages exist for the majority, and robust personal sites and strong media coverage are the norm throughout as well. In general, when it comes to the PeekScore thing, it would be tough to find too many other groupings who would fare much better. Female tennis players – as well as at least some race car drivers, golfers, and figure skaters – are apparently well and fully aware of social media’s place in our modern world, and are not shy about participating in that sphere.

But what of the boys? Well, rather than belabor the point, or make any clumsy jokes, it’s probably for the best that we just see for ourselves.

TOP PAID MALE ATHLETES

Rank Picture Name Earnings from May ’10 – May ’11 PeekScore
1

Cristiano Ronaldo
$38 million
10.00 / 10.00
2

LeBron James
$48 million
9.32 / 10.00
3

Tiger Woods
$75 million
9.26 / 10.00
4

Lionel Messi
$32.3 million
9.03 / 10.00
5

Roger Federer
$47 million
8.95 / 10.00
6

David Beckham
$40 million
8.84 / 10.00
7

Kobe Bryant
$53 million
8.76 / 10.00
8

Michael Schumacher
$34 million
8.05 / 10.00
9

Alex Rodriguez
$35 million
8.04 / 10.00
10

Phil Mickelson
$46.5 million
7.62 / 10.00

AVERAGE PEEKSCORE: 8.88

A Comparison of the Online Lives of the World’s Top-Paid Athletes

What is PeekScore?: PeekScore is a rank from 1 to 10, assigned to every person. The higher someone’s score, the “more important” they are on the web. In calculating your PeekScore and updating it often, PeekYou takes into account your known presence and activity on the Internet, including but not limited to; your blogging, participation in social networks, the number of your friends, followers, or readers, the amount of web content you create, and your prominence in the news.

This concept today could not be simpler: Below is a list of last year’s ten highest paid athletes in the world. In keeping with the kinds of things we get up to here at the PeekScore blog, we’ve decided to see to what degree their compensation corresponds to their visibility, activity, and presence here in cyberspace. We already know that in the case of some of the individuals listed below, a great many don’t believe their athletic abilities alone have gone very far in justifying their arguably obscene, and objectively handsome, paydays. But what of these athletes’ efforts and abilities to reach their spotty, slouchy lessers out here in the ever-expanding, in both size and import, online realm? The PeekScores provide their answers, scientifically and objectively as always.

Who do you like on this list? Who would you have preferred to see on this list? Who do you believe should be the top earning athletes? Do you hate A-Rod? Comment and let us know. (AND PLEASE KEEP SCROLLING ONCE YOU READ THE LIST, FOR FURTHER COMMENTARY.)

Rank Picture Name Earnings from May ’10 – May ’11 PeekScore
1

Cristiano Ronaldo
$38 million
10 / 10
2

LeBron James
$48 million
9.66 / 10
3

Tiger Woods
$75 million
9.56 / 10
4

Lionel Messi
$32.3 million
9.05 / 10
5

David Beckham
$40 million
9.01/ 10
6

Roger Federer
$47 million
8.95 / 10
7

Kobe Bryant
$53 million
8.76 / 10
8

Michael Schumacher
$34 million
8.05 / 10
9

Alex Rodriguez
$35 million
8.04 / 10
10

Phil Mickelson
$46.5 million
7.74 / 10

AND NOW, AS PROMISED, FURTHER COMMENTARY FROM THE FOLKS AT THE PEEKSCORE BLOG:

This list is not meant so much as a companion to the top earning models list, as it is merely coincidentally a different group of mostly genetically blessed individuals whose efforts, time, and mere presence are extremely well remunerated. It is for the good of mankind that we not associate the lists with one another even in casual conversation, nor even in an informal, relatively frivolous blogging context. Regardless of all the well-meaning talk of the meek one day inheriting our burdened little globe, the fact is that proclamation was initially made two-thousand years ago, and last we checked the meek – some of whom are employed here – were still left empty-handed. If anyone’s to be remaining standing tall when it all goes down, let’s face it; it’s going to be the prettiest, the fastest, and the richest. If they pull themselves away from their mirrors, baby oil, and piles of money long enough to recognize this fact, our inevitable demise will only be hastened.

The men on this list and the women on the world’s best paid models list would find themselves with a horrific combination of fitness, attractiveness, fortune, and global influence (as measured by their PeekScores) at their disposal were the individuals represented on each ever to get together and resolve to pool their considerable gifts. It is attributable either to their mercy or their frankly apparent stupidity, that they’ve not yet harnessed the ungodly power of their combined resources and done away with the nuisance which is we “meek,” and set about repopulating this sphere with the race of grossly overpaid juiceheads and bulimics agile, able, and visually appealing homo superiors their unions would certainly spawn.

Giselle Bündchen, who topped our models list – both in earnings and online influence – is romantically attached to the 13th best paid athlete on the planet. We people are grateful, as his relatively laughable $31 million year has kept him out of the top ten, and kept us safely out of harm’s way. Even if he’d earned enough to warrant inclusion on the list, his adequate, but unimpressive PeekScore would have found him at a meager 8th place. Their spawn is strong, but not yet strong enough to take down the combined meek, as we remain for the moment legion, and many of us still have higher PeekScores than Mr. Brady.

As we here at the PeekScore blog are largely Americans (although it must be stressed this is not true for the greater PeekYou, as a whole), and have therefore not cared about soccer since America’s brief, faddish fixation with it in the 1970s (and also a fleeting period of fascination every four years until the U.S. is inevitably knocked out of the World Cup), we don’t know as much about the gentleman topping our list as we should. But, Cristiano Ronaldo surely has earned our respect and admiration today, and we remain grateful that he and Giselle have either not comprehended – or perhaps did understand, but humanely considered – the consequences of their potential union, and granted us just this short time more to be the meek we are, and (meekly) admire their wealth, beauty, and online prowess, and their agents’ abilities to negotiate for them outlandish contracts.