Federer, Woods, Mickelson, James are world's most marketable athletes

Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and LeBron James are the top four most marketable athletes in the world, according to the London School of Marketing.

The school's research committee weighed each individual player's sponsorship value, earning income, brand marketability, and social media influence.

Federer's supremacy on the list may seem unexpected to North American audiences, but the research team explained its decision.

"He may not have won Wimbledon this year, but it's Federer's personal characteristics which sponsors find so attractive," Jacques de Cock, a faculty member of the school, said to Jerin Mathew of the International Business Times.

Despite a dwindling career, Woods still appears second on the list. Behind him is five-time major championship winner Mickelson. World No. 1 Rory McIlroy is the third and final golfer on the list, at sixth.

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and Derrick Rose are the four NBA players listed (4, 5, 11, and 18, respectively).

There are seven total tennis players included, while three soccer players (Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar) are also featured at 10, 13, and 15, respectively.

Possibly the most unknown name within the top 10 would be Mahendra Singh Dhoni, an Indian cricketer who captains the Indian national cricket team.

The highest ranked women on the list are Maria Sharapova at 12, and Serena Williams who is placed 20th.

De Cock also mentioned the reason for individual athlete popularity, and why brands choose them for monetizing purposes.

"Sports stars are also brilliant vessels for increasing brand awareness purely down to the sheer volume of people who watch sport," he said.

Here is the list: