Bud Selig is the embodiment of the American Dream. The son of Romanian parents who came to the United States as immigrants when he was only four years old, he took over the work his father started and became one of the richest men in sport. His influence on baseball is so significant that even after retiring, he is MLB's Commissioner Emeritus of Baseball, a position that was created especially for him.
Selig made his money initially from taking over his father's car leasing firm - a business that still exists today, and Selig still retains an interest in. The founding father of the Milwaukee Brewers, where his statue can be found outside the stadium, Selig was elected as Acting Commissioner of baseball in 1992, and after continuing in this capacity for six years, he was eventually awarded the role permanently in 1998, remaining in the position until 2015. By the time of his retirement he'd been overseeing the game of baseball for 23 years.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.