( CNN ) -- His golf career might be in a seemingly downward spiral , but Tiger Woods is still the world 's most valuable sportsman according to a top business magazine . The American , who this week dropped out of the world 's top 50 golfers for the first time in 15 years , has retained his position as Forbes ' top individual sports brand . The 36-year-old has , according to Forbes ' calculations , lost $ 17 million from his brand worth in the past year . But his $ 55 million value is still $ 29 million higher than the second-placed athlete , tennis star Roger Federer . Despite the scandal that broke in late 2009 about the marital infidelities that led to his divorce from wife Elin Nordegren , Woods has begun to restore his portfolio of endorsements with June 's agreement with Japan 's Kowa Company , which deals in medical equipment and pharmaceuticals . Fellow golfer Phil Mickelson is ranked third with $ 24 million , while basketball star LeBron James is catching fast with $ 20 million . The Miami Heat player earned half that total from his deal with Nike -- again Forbes ' most valuable overall brand , up 40 % to $ 15 billion after spreading its swoosh into even more world markets . English football club Manchester United lost top spot in the team brands to baseball 's New York Yankees . While United suffered due to the British pound weakening against the dollar , with a worth of $ 269 million , the Yankees ' value -- now $ 340 million -- has boomed 57 % since 2007 according to Forbes ' Mike Ozanian . `` Had the exchange rate held fast since 2007 the Red Devils , who are looking to capitalize on their global fan base with an IPO ( public share offering ) , would still be the most valuable team brand , '' Ozanian said . The NFL 's showpiece Super Bowl , with a brand value of $ 425 million , stayed well clear of the Summer Olympics ( $ 230 million ) and the FIFA World Cup ( $ 147 million ) .
Tiger Woods tops Roger Federer ' most valuable brand list despite his form slump . Golfer is $ 15 billion ahead of first -placed tennis star Roger Federer . New York Yankees moved further ahead as the most valuable overall brand on $ 29 million . New York Yankees topple Manchester United as the best team brand .