Not long after having his many lascivious affairs exposed to the public and divorcing his wife, professional golf superstar Tiger Woods moved into his brand new Jupiter Island compound, said to have cost around $50M to buy and construct. The sleek modernist mansion replaced a smaller home on the 12-acre property, and now boasts a 6,400-square-foot home gym, a media room, an elevator, and, most importantly, a private, waterfront golf course in the backyard. Woods bought the property in 2007 for $35M, then knocked down the existing structures and spent $15M building the four pristine structures and tearing out dozens of existing trees. While Woods might now have the most extravagant home of any athlete, there are plenty who have given the real estate whale thing a go during their illustrious careers. See some of their highlights and lowlights on the map below.
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Mapping the Biggest, Baddest Whales in Professional Sports
Tiger Woods
Located just town the street from the equally expansive estate of fellow golf legend Greg Norman, this 12-acre spread was built for Woods and his family, but that plan came to a screeching halt when the golfer's many affairs came to light.
Tom Brady
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady might do most of his business in the Northeast, but when it came to selecting a site for his dream house, he and wife, the supermodel Gisele Bündchen, chose to spend more than $30M to build in the tony L.A. neighborhood of Brentwood.
Joe Montana
Brady is hardly the only football superstar to take up residence in California, where ex-49er Joe Montana has kept a massive wine country estate for years. In 2009, he attempted to sell it for a whopping $49M, but was unable to sell, even after chopping the price to $35M, so delisted last year.
Alex Rodriguez
Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez, like many aging New Yorkers, keeps a home in Florida, though his is far more extravagant than the average snowbird's second home. He had it listed for $38M last year, before pulling it from the market.
David Beckham
During soccer star David Beckham's time with the Los Angeles Galaxy, he and Victoria took up residence in this $23M mansion in Beverly Hills. Seeing as he has just announced his retirement from the Galaxy and has been spotted house hunting back in England, this place may be back on the market very soon.
Mike Tyson
Boxing legend Mike Tyson's finances are in shambles, after he blew an estimated $400M fortune, and the state of one of his former mansions echoes that dispair. Listed in 2011 for $1.3M, the Ohio house sits vacant and overgrown.
Carmelo Anthony
When basketball star Carmelo Anthony played for the Denver Nuggets, he plunked down $12M for a 21,000-square-foot megamansion. Trouble was, Anthony scored a lucrative contract in NYC and had to settle for just $6.2M when he went to sell.
Derek Jeter
Yankees star Derek Jeter moved into this sprawling penthouse atop NYC's Trump World Tower in 2001, paying $12.72M. When he decided to sell a decade later, he was hoping for a whopping $20M, but no buyer came forward. Instead, the gargantuan four-bedroom pad sold for $15.5M after two years on the market.
Deion Sanders
In 2011, former NFL player and current NFL commentator Deion Sanders listed not one, but two top-dollar Texas estates. This is the larger of the two, a $21M, 109-acre estate with a 29,000-square-foot mansion, a private football field, and two swimming pools. Like so many overgrown homes, it too was delisted without selling.
Wayne Gretzky
Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky made his fortune on the ice, but took his earnings to sunny Southern California to build this gargantuan, Richard Landry-designed estate. Gretzky ended up selling it off, but now the 13,000-square-foot hilltop manse is back, asking $15M.
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