There's been a lot of debate in recent years about whether Tiger Woods has permanently lost his sparkle out on the golf course, and if his best years are behind him. If they are, he'll be walking away with more money than any other pro golf player in history. Whether he's the greatest of all time is subjective, but he has spent more time ranked as world #1 than any other player in history and has 14 Major championships to his name.
As the new poster boy of golf, Woods was the most marketable sports star in the world in the early 21st Century, signing endorsement deals with Nike, American Express and many other big companies. He's designed a golf proof watch with TAG Hueur and licensed his name to EA Sports for a series of video games, all of which sent his cash reserves through the roof. Back surgeries may have slowed him down, but the money keeps on coming.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.