LOS ANGELES: Average earnings for leading athletes in the United States have dropped for the first time in six years, according to Sports Illustrated magazine.

In a list of the 50 top-earning American athletes - based on salary, winnings, endorsements and appearance fees - the mean was down by $1.5 million to $23.6 million per athlete.

However, the drop was primarily affected by the leading two names in the standings, golfers Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, Sports Illustrated reported on Wednesday.