Top 10 Highest Paying Sports In The World

The highest-paid sports stars are among the wealthiest people in the world. Every year, several lists are published to evaluate the worth of the players. But here we will give you brief details about the highest-paying sports in the world.

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Highest Paying Sports In The World In 2024

Content Summery

These lists support the fact that athletes are among the highest-paid entertainers in the world. Be it the salary from the games, the prize money they get, or the amounts they receive from their endorsement deals, they earn enormous amounts. Each game and each tournament help the players make large sums of money. Here we are going to introduce you to the top 10 highest-paying sports in the world.

10. Cycling

Cycling

Charles Minthorn Murphy, in 1899 became the first cyclist to cover a mile in under a minute which earned him the nickname “Mile-a-Minute Murphy.” Since the innovation of cycles and other human-powered vehicles, cycling has been counted as one of the most active sports in the world.

There are many cycling tournaments that are considered among the highest-paying event on the planet earth. Besides colossal income in the form of tournament earnings, famous cyclists also get good amounts of money from their endorsers.

Legendary cyclist and one of the most controversial athletes of modern days, Lance Armstrong, achieved 9th place in the Forbes list of Richest Players in 2010 with a total income of $28 million. He also earns his place among the highest-paying sports players in 2024.

9. Baseball

Baseball

Sports columnist Jayson Stark once stated that baseball is “a unique paragon of American culture” as it still remains one of the major sports in the United States. It has more than 2.1 million participants in the United States.

With a great viewership of MLB, the participants are counted among the highest-earning athletes in the modern world. American baseball player Cecil Fielder first achieved 8th place in the Forbes list of Richest Players in 1993 with a total income of $12.7 million.

Alex Rodriguez achieved 7th place in the Forbes list of Richest Players in 2003 with a total income of $26 million and again achieved 9th place in 2004 with a total income of $26.2 million and in 2011 with $35 million total revenue.

8. Ice Hockey

Ice Hockey

The fast-paced, physical sport, Ice Hockey, is often cited as the nickname “The Fastest Game on Earth.” Ice hockey is also widely known as one of the highest-paying sports in the world. And the participants have frequently achieved decent positions in the Forbes list of Richest Players.

Legendary ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky achieved 5th place in the list in 1994 with a total income of $13.5 million. And since then, ice hockey has held its place among the richest sports to play. He again achieved 10th place in the list in 1995 with a total income of $14.5 million.

Canadian ice hockey player Joe Sakic achieved 9th place in 1997 with a total income of 17.9 million. Russian international ice hockey player Sergei Fedorov also achieved 3rd place in the list in 1998 with a $29.8 million total income.

7. Tennis

Tennis

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

Legendary tennis player Andre Agassi achieved 6th place in the list in 1992 with a total income of $11 million. Jim Courier achieved 9th place in the Forbes list of Richest Players in 1993 with a total income of $12.6 million.

In recent days’ legendary tennis star, Roger Federer achieved 6th place in 2008 with a $35 million total income. He again got the spot in 2010 with a $43 million total income and again in 2013 with a $71.5 million total income.

6. Soccer

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 8th place on the Forbes list in 2004 with a total income of $28 million.

He again achieved 7th place in the list in 2005 with a total income of $32.5 million and achieved 6th place in the Forbes list of Richest Players in 2007 with $33 million. Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho achieved 9th place in the list in 2007 with $ 31 million. David Beckham again achieved 2nd place in 2008 with a total income of $50 million.

Last year, Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo achieved 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 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.

5. American Football

American Football

American Football earns its place among the highest-paying sports in the world. And the players frequently achieved positions in the Forbes list of Richest Players. Besides the players, it also houses some of the highest-paying sports management jobs.

Joe Montana first achieved 7th place on the Forbes list in 1992 with a total income of $9.5 million. NFL star Deion Sanders achieved 3rd place in the list in 1995 with a total income of $22.5 million.

Famous NFL participant Peyton Manning achieved 3rd place in the Forbes list of Richest Players in 2004 with $42 million. Michael Vick achieved 4th place in the list in 2005 with $37.5 million. Another famous NFL star, Tom Brady, achieved 9th place in 2006 with a total income of $29 million.

4. Golf

Golf

Legendary golfer and one of the most successful athletes of any genre, Tiger Woods, still holds the history of achieving first place in the 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.

Long before Tiger Woods’ achievements, Jack Nicklaus achieved 3rd place in the list of richest players. He earned the spot in 1994 with $14.8 million. Besides, Arnold Palmer also achieved 4th place on the list in the same year with a total income of $13.6 million. So undoubtedly, Golf earns its place for providing the highest-paying sports jobs.

3. Auto Racing

Auto Racing

Several racing events, such as the Grand Prix of Formula 1 or NASCAR, earn their 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 first place on 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 3rd place on the Forbes list of Richest Players in 1992 with $22 million. And the same year Nigel Mansell also achieved 4th place on the list with a total income of $14.5 million.

2. Boxing

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 to the boxer in the Forbes list of Richest Players, Floyd Mayweather topped the list with $85 million in income in 2012 and again achieved first place in 2014 with $105 million in income.

1. Basketball

Basketball

Famous basketball tournaments such as the NBA received compliments for being among the highest-paying sports leagues. The participants get huge amounts of salary from their respective teams. Besides, they also earn millions from numerous of their endorsements.

They have their signature shoes and jerseys to boost their yearly income. Basketball player Michael Jordan topped the Forbes list of Richest Players with $35.9 million in 1992. And now, it also holds its place among the most popular sports in America.

He then achieved $36.0 million in 1993, $30.01 million in 1994, $43.9 million in 1995, $78.3 million in 1997, and $69 million in 1998. Another legendary basketball player Shaquille O’Neal’ achieved 6th place in the Forbes list of Richest Players. He earned $15.2 million in 1993 and again achieved 2nd place with $16.7 million in 1994.

Final Words

Sports can bring an athlete immense wealth and fame. That’s what attracts many youngsters to a career in this area. However, it takes more than just the desire for wealth and fame to be a good sportsperson. One needs acute love and skill, without which one cannot give his best. While sports can bring money and fame, these rewards will only come as a result of hard work.

Highest Paying Sports – Infographics

highest paying sports in the world - infographics
Infographics: Highest-Paying Sports In The World

So, what do you think of the world’s Highest Paying Sports? Let us know in the comments!

FAQs Regarding Highest-Paying Sports

Q. Who is the richest sportsman in 2024?

According to the Forbes list of Richest Athletes in the World, Conor McGregor is on the No.1. He is an Irish mixed martial artist and professional boxer, the featherweight and lightweight double-champion. He has a net worth of $ 180 million.

Q. How much do baseball players earn?

Baseball is among the most paying sports in the world; a baseball player earns the amount of $38 million a year. Major League Baseball is the biggest and the most popular baseball league in the world. A number of MLB players are also nominated in the Forbes richest athletes.

Q. What are the most popular sports in the world?

The most popular sports in the world are basketball, American Football, Cricket, Tennis, Baseball, Golf, and Volleyball. These are also the highest-paying sports, and millions of people around the world are highly interested in these sports and invest decent amounts in them.

Q. Which Sport pays the highest amount?

The NBA is the professional sports league with the highest player wages worldwide. In Basketball, every player earns a huge amount of 8.32 million U.S. dollars every year. So we can conclude that Basketball is the highest-paying sport in the world.

Last Updated On: October 2024

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