By Rick Horrow and Karla Swatek
March 15, 2013
A record 15 women are represented on the 2013 Power 100, up from 11 in 2012. Among women topping the list are Serena Williams, WTA World Number One tennis player and at No. 12, the top-ranked woman on the Power 100. Williams claims lucrative endorsement deals with Gatorade, and Wilson, and Nike, and has a clothing line that sells on Home Shopping Network. Serena and sister Venus, No. 57, starred in an Apple iPhone ad that seem ran constantly in the Super Bowl runup, and they both have a vibrant social media presence as well.
For women athletes, tennis isn’t the only way to the top, and there was a noticeable jump in the number of females this year directly attributable to the Summer Olympics. The top-ranked newcomer of either gender on the list is Olympic gold medal gymnast Gabby Douglas, who continues to command the endorsement spotlight even as the lights of London fade away. Joining her on the Power 100 podium are fellow Olympians Misty May-Treanor; Abby Wambach; Aly Raisman; Kerri Walsh; Missy Franklin; Megan Rapinoe; and Hope Solo.
