While Jamaican athletes like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price and Veronica Campbell-Brown make a healthy living burning up the track at major events and international meets, those sums pale in comparison to the kind of money the worlds top-earning female athletes generated last year. Proving that sports is indeed big business regardless of gender.

Maria Sharapova was the world’s highest-paid female athlete last year for the seventh straight year. Sharapova earned $25 million over the 12-month period, double the amount of any other female athlete in the world.

Sharapova maintains an impressive endorsement portfolio that includes Nike, Head, Evian, Clear Shampoo, Sony Ericsson, Tiffany and Tag Heuer. Sharapova has 5.2 million Facebook fans and her partners are constantly doing things on her Facebook page to reach them. Cole-Haan (a Nike subsidiary) ran a promotion for her 24th birthday where her fans got 24% off that day.

Sharapova extended her Nike agreement in 2010 for eight years that could net her as much as $US70 million. Sales of her Nike line of tennis apparel were up 26% in 2010 and she now has five other Tour pros wearing the collection. She receives royalties on both her Nike and Cole Haan lines.

The second highest-paid female athlete in 2011 is the former world’s No. 1 ranked tennis player, Caroline Wozniacki at $12.5 million. She banked $6 million in prize money and another $6.5 million from sponsors and appearances. Companies are lining up behind the 21-year old Dane hoping to catch tennis’ next big star. She added deals this year with Yonex, Compeed and Oriflame, but her biggest partner is Adidas which paid out lucrative bonuses in 2010.

Racing’s Danica Patrick ranked No. 3 at $12 million. Patrick continues to split her time between IndyCar and Nascar’s Nationwide Series. Her fourth place finish in the Sam’s Town 300 in March was the highest finish ever by a woman in a Nascar race.

Venus Williams is the oldest woman on the list at no. 4 with $11.5 million., but still maintains her deals with Wilson, Electronic Arts, Kraft, Ralph Lauren and Tide. She sells her own line of clothing, Eleven, through the Gilt Groupe.

Kim Clijsters at $11 million is next on the list at no. 5.  Clijsters retired for two years, but since returning to the court in the summer of 2009 she has won four Grand Slam events. Her $6.5 million in prize money over the 12-month period is the most on the WTA Tour.

At no. 6 with $10.5 million is Serena Williams. Williams played little over the past year as she recovered from foot surgery and then a blood clot in her lungs that developed months later. Her $33 million in career prize money is more than any other female athlete.

Next at no. 7 is Kim Yu-na at $10 million. Kim launched her own sports management company, All That Sports, to manage her career. The firm organized ice shows in South Korea and Los Angeles with Kim as the star. Kim is also South Korea’s most popular athlete.

No. 8 is tennis player Li Na at $8 million. Li became the first Chinese player to win a singles Grand Slam event at the 2011 French Open. She is set to see her earnings soar as she has been busy signing new seven-figure deals with companies like Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler and others which joined Nike, Haagen-Dazs and Rolex in her endorsement portfolio. Before her French Open title in June 2011, she was making $2.5 million annually off the court, but her newfound celebrity could see that figure jump by more than $10 million. It is estimated that Li earned $8 million (ranked eighth) in the 12-months through June, which is before most of her new deals kicked in.

Ninth is Ana Ivanovic with $6 million. Ivanovic is ranked No. 17 in the world, but signed a lucrative lifetime endorsement deal with Adidas last year that makes her one of the top earners in women’s tennis.

Rounding out the list is Paula Creamer at $5.5 million. The 25 year-old is the lone golfer among the highest-paid women extended her deal with TaylorMade-Adidas Golf this year which has Creamer play TaylorMade clubs and outfitted in Adidas golf apparel.