Top 10 Highest Paying Sports In The World

1. Basketball

Average Salary: $4.9 million

It is not surprising that basketball is the world’s highest paid sport. As well as earning millions per year in salary, the NBA’s best basketball players earn a huge amount of money from their various endorsements and sponsorships, more so than any other sport.

A quick glance at any Forbes Magazine’s list of highest paid sportsmen will find basketball well represented with the average player earning a $4.9 million per year. Top players can earn even more, with Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers earning over $30 million in the 2013/14 season.

2. Professional Baseball Player

Successful Major League Baseball (MLB) players have implemented rigorous off-season training programs to improve strength and flexibility. The MLB season contains 162 games, as well as several rounds of playoffs, so players must cope with a taxing travel schedule. Many experts believe that hitting a baseball is one of the most difficult tasks in sports, requiring players to practice their batting skills to maintain an edge continually.

MLB players averaged an annual salary of 4.52 million in 2018. Backed by a strong union, players are afforded the security of guaranteed contracts and a generous pension program. Most of the professional baseball players in the United States play for one of over 240 minor league teams.

They receive much lower compensation, between $1,000 – $3,000 per month, with no guarantee that they will ever make the big league team. However, the top 100 players drafted from college or high school receive bonuses ranging from $500,000 to two million dollars.

3. Boxing

The game of boxing has also made its mark among the very best paying sporting event. It also earns its place as one of the most dangerous sports of modern days. Well-known boxers earn huge amounts as their tournament prize money. They also get good amounts of profit from Pay-Per-View commissions, betting, and endorsements. One of the greatest boxers Mike Tyson topped the Forbes list in 1991 with $28.6 million. He again repeated the same in 1996 with a total income of $75 million. Former international boxer Evander Holyfield topped the Forbes list of Richest Players with $60.5 million in 1992.

After a short break as a contribution of the boxer in the Forbes list of Richest Players, Floyd Mayweather topped the list with $85 million income in 2012 and again achieved the first place in 2014 with $105 million income.

4. Ice Hockey (NHL)

Average Salary: $2.58 million

The NHL is popular across the USA, Canada as well as many European countries. Its number three position may be surprising to some as the NHL does not create anywhere near as much revenue as the NFL, NBA or MLB. However, there are less teams and players in the NHL which increases the average salary figure. The highest paid player in recent years is Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators, earning a reputed $14 million per year.

5. Professional Football Player

National Football League (NFL) players engage in one of the most physical sports, in which athletes collide at high speed. Strategy in football exceeds most other sports in its complexity. Players must study and master extensive playbooks to prepare for a myriad of potential game situations. Injuries are common, and players spend considerable time in physical therapy and other treatment settings to repair the damage.

Recent attention has centered on traumatic brain injuries, and the NFL has instituted limits on player contact during practice sessions. The average length of a player’s career in the NFL is by far the shortest of all major sports, only about 3.5 years.

Although the NFL is America’s most popular and lucrative sport, NFL players are compensated at a much lower level than other major sports. Average salaries for NFL players on various teams ranged from 2.07 million to 2.99 million in 2017/18.

6. Auto Racing

Several racing events such as the Grand Prix of Formula1 or NASCAR earns its reputation for being one of the highest paying events in the sports universe. The involvement of risks is compromised by great winning amounts and several endorsements of reputed brands. F1 legend Michael Schumacher achieved the first place of the Forbes list of Richest Players in 1999 with a total income of $49 million.

He again achieved the same in 2000 with $59 million. Long before that, Ayrton Senna achieved the 3rd place of Forbes list of Richest Players in 1992 with $22 million. And the same year Nigel Mansell also achieved the 4th place on the list with a total income of $14.5 million.

7. American Football (NFL)

Average Salary: $2 million

NFL salaries have been steadily growing over recent years and it may be surprising that it doesn’t feature higher up in our list. However, the NFL doesn’t have quite the geographic spread of viewers that sports like the NHL and MLB do which can affect the value of sponsorship deals.

There are also more teams in the NFL and there are 11 players on each team too which affects the average salary. Some NFL players do rank well in the individual earnings tables such as Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers who earns $22 million per year.

8. Soccer

Without even saying, football or soccer is the home of some of the highest paying sports contracts. English football player David Beckham first achieved the 8th place in the Forbes list in 2004 with a total income of $28 million. He again achieved the 7th place in the list in 2005 with a total income of $32.5 million and achieved the 6th place in the Forbes list of Richest Players in 2007 with $33 million. Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho achieved the 9th place in the list in 2007 with $31million. David Beckham again achieved the 2nd place in 2008 with a total income of $50 million.

Last year, Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo achieved the 1st place in the 2017 Forbes list of richest players with a total income of $93 million. Besides, another legendary Argentine footballer Lionel Messi also achieved the 2nd place in the list last year with a total income of $86.2 million. at the moment Messi is the highest-paid footballer in the world, followed by Ronaldo.

9. Golf

Legendary golfer and one of the most successful athletes of any genre, Tiger Woods, still holds the history of achieving the first place in Forbes list of Richest Players, a record eleven times. He first topped the Forbes list in 2002 with $69 million. Then in 2003 with $78 million, in 2004 with $80.3 million, in 2005 with $87 million, in 2006 with $90 million, in 2007 with $100 million, in 2008 with $115 million, in 2009 with $110 million, in 2010 with $105 million and in 2011 with $75 million. Finally, he tops again in 2013 with a total income of $78.1 million.

10. Tennis

Tennis is one of the most popular sports and is played by millions worldwide. WTA tours, undoubtedly, mark its name for being one of the highest paying tournaments in the world. And the tennis players have frequently achieved positions in the Forbes list of richest players.

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Sources:www.rulesofsport.com,www.thebalancecareers.com,www.sportsshow.net