Highest Paying Sports in the World
Highest Paying Sports
The entertainment world is known for the glitz and glamour, and for the hugely lucrative career options for those who can make the cut. Sports, in particular, are very lucrative. The players who are well-known and who receive large payments from their sporting career are in fact among the richest people in the world. Every year, several evaluations of the wealth of the players are published in the form of lists, which prove that athletes are indeed among the wealthiest people in the world. One such famous list is by Forbes. Keeping aside the amounts the players earn from endorsements, they earn pretty large sums as salaries or prize from the games and tournaments. Let us look at the Highest Paying Sports in the World.
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Highest Paying Sports in the World
1. Basketball
Highest Paying Sports in the World
NBA and other famous basketball tournaments are reputed as some of the highest paying events of the globe. Participants earn in millions from numerous of their endorsements as they also get huge amounts of salary from their respected teams. To boost their yearly income, the players also have their signature shoes and jerseys. Legendary basketball player Michael Jordan topped the Forbes list of Richest Players in 1992 with $35.9 million, in 1993 with $36.0 million, in 1994 with $30.01 million, in 1995 with $43.9 million, in 1997 with $78.3 million and with $69 million in 1998. Shaquille O’Neal, another legendary basketball player, earned the 6th place in the Forbes list of Richest Players in 1993 with $15.2 million and again secured the 2nd place in the list in 1994 with $16.7 million.
Bonus: Greatest NBA players Of All Time
2. Boxing
Highest Paying Sports in the World
Boxing, One of the most dangerous sports of modern days, is counted among the best paying sporting event. Well known boxers gets good amount of profit from Pay-Per-View commissions, betting and endorsements as they earns huge amounts from their tournament prize money. Reputed boxer Mike Tyson first topped the Forbes list of Richest Players with $28.6 million in 1991 and repeated the same with a total income of $75 million in 1996. Another reputed boxer Evander Holyfield topped the Forbes list of Richest Players in 1992 with $60.5 million. After a little pause in the contribution of the boxer in the Forbes list of Richest Players, in 2012 Floyd Mayweather topped the list with $85 million income and again repeated the same with $105 million income in 2014.
Bonus: 10 Greatest Boxers of All Time
3. Auto Racing
Highest Paying Sports in the World
The Grand Prix of Formula1, Nascar and other reputed events of auto racing are well-known for being the highest paying events in the sports universe. The involvement of risks gets compromised by several endorsements of reputed brands and great winning amount as prize money. Legendary F1 driver Michael Schumacher secured the first place of the Forbes list of Richest Players with a total income of $49 million in 1999 and again achieved the same with $59 million in 2000. Many years ago, Auto Racing driver Ayrton Senna secured the 3rd place of Forbes list of Richest Players with $22 million in 1992 and Nigel Mansell also achieved the 4th place the same year with a total income of $14.5 million.
Bonus:
4. Golf
Highest Paying Sports in the World
One of the most successful athletes of any genre and Legendary golfer, Tiger Woods, still holds the record of securing the first place in Forbes list of Richest Players a record eleven times. He topped the Forbes list with $69 million in 2002, with $78 million in 2003, with $80.3 million in 2004, with $87 million in 2005, with $90 million in 2006, with $100 million in 2007, with $115 million in 2008, with $110 million in 2009, with $105 million in 2009, with $75 million in 2011 and again with a total income of $78.1 million in 2013. Jack Nickalus, long before Tiger Woods’ achievements, secured the 3rd place in the list of richest players by Forbes with $14.8 million in 1994 and the same year Arnold Palmer with a total income of $13.6 million also achieved the 4th place in the list.
Bonus: Top 10 Richest Golfers 2015
5. American Football
Highest Paying Sports in the World
American Football is considered as one of the highest paying sports in the globe as the participants also frequently secured position in the Forbes list of Richest Players. Joe Montana first secured the 7th place in the Forbes list with a total income of $9.5 million in 1992. American Football star Deion Sanders achieved the 3rd place in 1995 in the list with a total income of $22.5 million. Legendary NFL star Peyton Manning achieved the 3rd place in the Forbes list of Richest Players with $42 million in 2004. In 2005, Michael Vick achieved the 4th place in the list with $37.5 million income. Recent days football star Tom Brady achieved the 9th place in the Forbes list of Richest Players with a total income of $29 million in 2006.
Bonus: Top 10 Greatest NFL Players
6. Soccer
Highest Paying Sports in the World
English international football star David Beckham first secured`the 8th place in the Forbes list with a total income of $28 million in 2004. He again secured the 7th place in the list with a total income of $32.5 million in 2005 and then achieved the 6th place in the Forbes list of Richest Players with $33 million in 2007. In 2007 with $31million income, Brazilian soccer player Ronaldinho also achieved the 9th place in the list. David Beckham again achieved the 2nd place in 2008 in the Forbes list of Richest Players with a total income of $50 million. Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo last year achieved the 2nd place in the 2014 Forbes list of richest players with a total income of $80 million. In the list last year, another legendary Argentine footballer Lionel Messi also achieved the 4th place with a total income of $64.7 million.
Bonus:
7. Tennis
Highest Paying Sports in the World
Tennis is among the most famous recreational sports, played by millions all over the world. WTA tours are considered among the world’s highest paying tournaments, with the tennis players frequently achieving their positions in the list of Richest Players by Forbes. Andre Agassi, a legendary tennis player, in 1992, achieved the 6th place in the list, with a total income worth $11 million. In 1993, Jim Courier achieved the 9th place in the Forbes list of Richest Players, having earned total income worth $12.6 million. Roger Federer, one of the biggest tennis stars of today, achieved the 6th place in the Forbes list of Richest Players in the year 2008 with $35 million worth of total income, in 2010 with $43 worth million total income and again in 2013 with $71.5 million worth of total income.
Bonus:
8. Ice Hockey
Highest Paying Sports in the World
Ice-Hockey is a fast-paced physical sport, and it is often given the nickname “The Fastest Game on Earth”. Ice hockey is well-known as one of the highest paying sports in the world, with its participants frequently achieving their positions in the Forbes list of Richest Players. Wayne Gretzky, a legendary ice hockey player, in 1994, achieved the 5th position in the list with a total income worth $13.5 million, and in 1995 he again achieved the 10th place in the list with a total income worth $14.5 million. Joe Sakic, a well-known Canadian ice hockey player, achieved the 9th position in the Forbes list of Richest Players in 1997, having a total income worth 17.9 million. Sergei Federov, the famous Russian international ice hockey player, in 1998, achieved the 3rd position in the list, having $29.8 million worth of total income.
Bonus: 10 Greatest NHL Players
9. Baseball
Highest Paying Sports in the World
Eminent Sports columnist named Jayson Stark once stated that baseball is “a unique paragon of American culture” as this sport is still one of the major sports in the US, with more than 2.1 million participants from America alone, and a huge number of viewership of MLB. The participants are considered among the highest earning athletes of current times. Back in 1993, the US baseball player named Cecil Fielder first achieved the 8th place in the Forbes list of Richest Players, having earned a total income worth $12.7 million. In 2003, Alex Rodriguez achieved the 7th position in the Forbes list of Richest Players with a total income worth $26 million, while he achieved the 9th place in 2004 with a total income worth $26.2 million and in 2011 with $35 million total income.
Bonus: 10 Greatest Baseball Players
10. Cycling
Highest Paying Sports in the World
In 1899, Charles Minthorn Murphy became the first cyclist to cover the distance of a mile in less than a minute, thus earning the nickname “Mile-a-Minute Murphy”. Ever since the innovations of cycles and other such human-powered vehicles, cycling is among one of the most active sports in the world. There are various cycling tournaments considered among the top paying events on the planet. In addition to the huge income as the tournament earnings, the famous cyclists earn large amounts from their endorsers. Legendary cyclist and one of the most controversial athletes of recent times, Lance Armstrong, achieved the 9th place in the Forbes list of Richest Players in 2010, having earned a total income of $28 million.
Bonus:
Sports indeed offer the opportunity to make an athlete extremely rich and famous throughout the world, which is why so many people wish to have a career in this field. However, what they forget is that it takes more than the desire to be rich and famous to make a mark in this industry. Only when an athlete is completely dedicated to his chosen sport and gains great skill at it that he gets to reach that position. While sports can be high-paying, they can also pose challenges.
