Tiger Woods Now Most Powerful Businessman in Sports

If you were going to shoot or some goals by the age of 32, being the richest athlete in the world, the best golfer ever and now the most influential person in sports business wouldn't be a bad agenda.

Business Week moved Tiger to to the top of the list, jumping NFL Commissioner Roger Godell at the top spot and finding himself as the only active athlete in the top-14 (Lance Armstrong, who is coming back to cycling, is 15).

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem is No. 27 and Jack Nicklaus is No. 47.

Why is Tiger the top dog this year? Well, just check out this paragraph of his boost of golf since he hit the scene in 1997 and how much some companies might be out since the knee injury that sidelined him in June.

"Woods' fashionable on-course golf wear has made Nike the No. 1 seller of golf apparel worldwide, with more than $300 million in revenue. While he's rehabbing his knee—fans will recall how he winced his way to victory at the U.S. Open in June—sports valuation experts estimate Nike could be out more than $70 million in swoosh exposure. Buick (GM) executives are sweating, as well. Since Woods showed up in its car ads in 2000, sales have climbed steadily among the under-40 crowd. His connection with fans is the reason earnings for PGA Tour players have surged 200% since 1998, to an estimated $374.5 million. "

It was almost a sure bet to put Tiger on the top of the list after some of his recent business ventures. A man thats name sells, it was only time before the Tiger Woods brand began in golf course development, surely the only way Nicklaus is on this list. If Tiger Woods Design takes off like Nicklaus' golf courses did, he will be pulling in more dough that any golfer makes a year combined.

His name is his business and even with the knee troubles and the fact that he has said he won't be completely healthy until 2010, it still must be nice to be the Tiger.