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
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