Tony Hawk, Shaun White Top Forbes' List of Richest Action Sports Athletes

Well known for its interesting series of "most wealthy" lists for sports, Forbes recently stepped outside of the traditional sports world and released its rankings of the top 10 highest-paid action sports athletes for 2008.

The names at the top of the list -- Tony Hawk, Shaun White (right) -- aren't all that surprising, but the earnings (Hawk alone apparently made $12 million in 2008) are nothing to sneeze at, even compared to wages earned by well-known professional athletes.

Forbes' full list, including each athlete's 2008 earnings, can be found after the jump:

Forbes' Top 10 Highest-Paid Action Sports Stars
1. Tony Hawk, $12 million (skateboarding)
2. Shaun White, $9 million (skateboarding/snowboarding)
3. Ryan Sheckler, $5 million (skateboarding)
4. Travis Pastrana, $3 million (freestyle motocross/rally)
4. Kelly Slater, $3 million (surfing)
6. Laird Hamilton, $2.5 million (surfing)
7. Paul Rodriguez, $2 million (skateboarding)
8. Danny Kass, $1 million (snowboarding)
8. Dave Mirra, $1 million (BMX)
8. Travis Rice, $1 million (snowboarding)

Upon first impression, a few things stand out to me with this list. First, Paul "P-Rod" Rodriguez placing so high is a bit surprising. Despite having a signature shoe with Nike SB, and a famous comedian ("A Million to Juan", anyone?) for a father, he would seem to be a bit of an outsider to your average sports fan. But then I suppose winning $100,000 in the Maloof Money Cup alone (yes, those Maloofs) and grabbing a leading role in an indie film shouldn't be overlooked when it comes to breaking bank. Although I do find it curious that P-Rod is on here, yet Plan B owner (the board company P-Rod rides for) and highly-regarded pro skater, Danny Way, is not.

Secondly, I'm surprised that pro skater Rob Dyrdek isn't on this list. His MTV reality series, "Rob and Big", took off in 2008, and was extremely well received among skateboarders and the general viewing public alike. Don't be surprised if Dyrdek makes it onto the list in '09, as MTV is promoting the fun out of his new show, "Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory".

But most importantly, it's great to see just one "motor sport" athlete on this list (Pastrana). To a purist such as yours truly, true action sports heroes don't rely on throttles and machinery to succeed. It should be all about guts, skill and gravity; nothing more.