Bloomberg BusinessWeek today released its ranking of the top 100 most powerful athletes in American sports — and despite all his outside troubles, Tiger Woods ranks at the top.  Another golfer, Phil Mickelson, ranked third, showing the strength of the sport in terms of marketing.

The top 20 also includes five basketball players, five football players and three each from baseball and tennis.

You can read about the methodology and see the complete list here.  In short, to determine who the 100 most powerful athletes are on and off the field, Bloomberg BusinessWeek teamed with CSE, formerly known as Career Sports & Entertainment, an integrated sports and entertainment company that connects brands with fans, and Bloomberg BusinessWeek columnist Rick Horrow of Horrow Sports Ventures and host of The $ports Take with Sports Professor Rick Horrow, to create the 2010 version of the Power 100.

Lists like these are meant to create interest and discussion.  To me, these are the intriguing points:

• Just one female, Serena Williams, in the top 20.  And only eight in the top 100.  Maria Sharapova dropped all the way to #80 because it’s been two years since she’s won a Grand Slam but she’s still very marketable, if not as ubiquitous as before.
• Derek Jeter at #33 seems a bit low - particularly coming off being named SI Sportsman of the Year and winning his fifth championship.
• Albert Pujols at #4 - now I love Albert, and it’s all in the methodology, so I’m glad to see him rated so highly. But ahead of guys like Jeter, A-Rod and Chase Utley?
• Fedor Emelianenko (#82) and Brock Lesnar (#96) are the only two MMA fighters on the list. My guess is that next year a few more UFC guys will be on there.
• Bloomberg BusinessWeek elected to go with just athletes this year, which makes for a more apples-to-apples comparison