Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers (plavevski / Shutterstock.com)
There are a number of contenders for the title of highest paid sport in the world and a number of ways to calculate it. Sports like boxing, basketball, and soccer have some of the highest earning sports stars on the planet. But to answer this question, it is not about individual salaries it is about the best paying sports overall.
For that reason, we’ve decided to base our top five highest paying sports in the world on average salaries (including sponsorships). This enables us to compare sports fairly and has produced some interesting results.
5. The FA Premier League (Soccer)
Average Salary: $1.6 million
We’ve used the Premiership as it is the most popular soccer league in the world but figures would be similar for any of the world’s major soccer leagues. Although leagues like the Premiership pay big salaries ($19 million per year for Wayne Rooney), there are a high number of teams in the league in comparison to some other sports as well as eleven players in each team.
4. 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.
3. 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.
2. Major League Baseball
Average Salary: $3.82 million
Major League baseball is hugely popular in the USA and in other countries, such as Japan. In the 2014 season, the average wage in MLB was $3.82 million. As well as high wages, MLB players boost their income with sponsorship and endorsem*nts.
As a sport, Major League Baseball has been increasing its revenue every year for the last thirteen years and this has been reflected in player’s incomes increasing. This could lead to Baseball challenging for title of the world’s highest paying sport in the near future.
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 endorsem*nts 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.
Some Highly Paid Sports We’ve Not Listed
You may be surprised that some sports are not represented in our top 5 highest paying sports in the world. This could include boxing, MMA, golf, and tennis. The reason for this is that we have looked at average salaries. Taking boxing as an example, Floyd Mayweather was the highest paid sportsman in the world in 2014 with a net income of over $100m.
Many other boxing world champions will have also earned several million per year. However, the money in boxing, like many other sports, is only spectacular when you reach the top of the sport. Regular professionals often earn very meagre salaries, which means that the average salary of the sport isn’t that high.
In sports like the NBA and MLB, however, the pool of players is comparably smaller than that of other sports with all players earning high salaries, thus resulting in a higher average salary.
FAQs
Basketball is the highest paid sport in the world, with the average annual salary in the NBA in 2023 being nearly $10.5 million. This is more than double the average salary in the NFL, which sits in second place at $4.5 million.
What is the highest paid sport in 2023? ›
Ans : NFL is the Highest Paying Game In History Of Sport.
What is the top 10 most paid sports? ›
Top highest paid sports in the world
- Basketball. A game played between two teams with ten players on the court. ...
- Football. Also known as soccer in some countries, it is a sport that involves twenty players in the field of play. ...
- Tennis. ...
- Boxing. ...
- Golf. ...
- Ice Hockey. ...
- BaseBall. ...
- American Football.
The highest-paid sport in the world
- Football.
- Golf. ...
- Soccer. ...
- Tennis. ...
- Ice Hockey. ...
- Baseball. ...
- Auto racing. ...
- Cycling. The 42nd Vuelta Ciclista A La Region De Murcia Costa Calida 2022, a 183,2km race from Fortuna to Puerto de Cartagena on February 12, 2022, in Cartagena, Spain. ...
What is the Highest Paid Sport in the World?
- Basketball. Average Salary: $4.9 million.
- Major League Baseball. Average Salary: $3.82 million. ...
- Ice Hockey (NHL) Average Salary: $2.58 million. ...
- American Football (NFL) Average Salary: $2 million. ...
- The FA Premier League (Soccer) Average Salary: $1.6 million. ...
Highest-Paying Occupations
| OCCUPATION | 2021 MEDIAN PAY |
|---|
| Physicians, pathologists | Equal to or greater than $208,000 per year |
| Psychiatrists | Equal to or greater than $208,000 per year |
| Radiologists | Equal to or greater than $208,000 per year |
| Surgeons, all other | Equal to or greater than $208,000 per year |
17 more rowsApr 4, 2023
With 3.5 billion fans around the world, soccer is the one sport that pretty much the whole world can agree upon can be claimed the most viewed sports in the world. With its combination of adrenaline-pumping excitement, man-on-man aggression, tough competition, it's really no wonder it comes on top.
What is the lowest paid sport? ›
Here are some of the lowest wages in professional sports:
- Boxing. No athlete earns more today than Floyd Mayweather, who rakes in more than $73 million per year. ...
- Bowling. ...
- Football. ...
- Golf. ...
- Hockey. ...
- Lacrosse. ...
- Major League Soccer. ...
- Minor League Baseball.
Soccer, also known as association football, is by far the most popular sport in the world, despite the fact that it may not be obvious in the United States. Soccer is the most popular sport in practically all of Europe, South America, Africa, the Middle East, Central America, and Asia.
What is the 2 hardest sport? ›
According to Sports Virsa, the top 10 hardest sports in the world to play in 2022 are as follows: Boxing (hardest), American football, mixed martial arts, ice hockey, gymnastics, basketball, soccer, wrestling, rugby, and water polo.
Boxing requires strength, power, endurance and the ability to withstand huge hits over and over from the opponent. The skills to be able to dance around a ring, pick your punches and defend your body all convey why boxing is one the most skilful sports there is.
What is the hardest sport to win? ›
The Stanley Cup is the oldest trophy and was first awarded in 1892-93 to the professional athletes of Ice Hockey in North America. The Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in sports because the winner must play sometimes 16 playoff games, and sometimes 28 total games before being deemed a champion.
What sport in America is most watched? ›
Popular team sports
- The most popular team sports in the United States are American football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, and soccer. ...
- The NFL is the preeminent professional football league in the United States. ...
- Nationwide, the NFL obtains the highest television ratings among major sports.
The jobs of millionaires
- Investment banker.
- Certified public accountant.
- Entrepreneur.
- Day trader.
- Real estate agent.
- Engineer.
- Lawyer.
- Actuary.
That's around 370 crores rupees total compensation. Shantanu Narayen is the Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Adobe Inc. He received annual compensation of $39.1 million in 2019 according to USA Today. That's around 290 crore rupees annual compensation.
What is highest paying job in USA? ›
The highest paying jobs in the U.S. are all in medicine, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Chief executives and airline pilots are also among the highest paid professions.
Which sport has most fans? ›
- Football/Soccer (4 billion fans) Football.ua, CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons. ...
- Cricket (2.5 billion fans) ...
- Ice Hockey (2 billion fans) ...
- Tennis (1 billion fans) ...
- Volleyball (900 million fans) ...
- Table Tennis (875 million fans) ...
- Basketball (825 million fans) ...
- Baseball (500 million fans)
American football is massive, with 79% either watching or following. The next two most-viewed sports are basketball at 58% and baseball, at 56%. Some way behind comes the world's top sport, football, with 34% of US sports fans saying they watch or follow, with tennis the last of the top 5, on 31%.
Is NFL bigger than soccer? ›
Despite its relatively low global interest, the National Football League reigns supreme when it comes to total revenue. The NFL generates about $10 billion in domestic broadcast revenue each year.
What is the healthiest sport to play? ›
Ten Healthy Sports
- Swimming. Absolutely stress-free, can be carried out no matter the season, improves lung capacity, burns calories, builds up muscles.
- Tennis. High calorie consumption, promotes coordination, channels strength, tones many muscle groups.
- Rowing. ...
- Squash. ...
- Basketball. ...
- Cycling. ...
- Cross-country skiing. ...
- Running.
Top 50 Highest-Paid Athletes of All Time
| Rank | Athlete | Inflation-Adjusted Earnings |
|---|
| 1 | Michael Jordan | $3.3B |
| 2 | Tiger Woods | $2.5B |
| 3 | Arnold Palmer | $1.7B |
| 4 | Jack Nicklaus | $1.63B |
46 more rowsThe NFL's cap is a hard cap that the teams have to stay under at all times, and the salary floor is also a hard floor.
Where is the most popular sport? ›
While it may not be apparent in the United States, association football—also known as soccer—is the most popular sport in the world by a vast margin. Soccer is king in virtually all of Europe, South America, Africa, the Middle East, Central America, and Asia.
What is known as America's sport? ›
Often referred to as America's National Pastime, baseball has had a very active role in the shaping of this nation. From the Civil War to Civil Rights and all points in between and beyond, the game of baseball supports and reflects many aspects of American life, from culture to economics and technological advances.
Is NFL or NBA more popular? ›
The NBA, on the other hand, didn't account for any. “The NBA will continue to have its loyal fanbase and following. But the ratings have spoken, and they say the NFL is still the most popular sport in the United States,” Sportskeeda reported.
What is the oldest sport? ›
Sports that are at least two and a half thousand years old include hurling in Ancient Ireland, shinty in Scotland, harpastum (similar to rugby) in Rome, cuju (similar to association football) in China, and polo in Persia.
Which sport has the strongest athletes? ›
Top Ranked Strength and Power Sports
| Ranking | Sport | Rating |
|---|
| 1 | Weightlifting | 86.7 |
| 2 | Gymnastics | 84.4 |
| 3 | Water Polo | 82.5 |
| 4 | Wrestling | 81.4 |
6 more rowsThis article discusses the SPORT which requires the greatest demands of fitness.
...
Water Polo is your Fittest Sport.
| Ranking | Sport | Overall Fitness Rating (%) |
|---|
| 1 | Water Polo | 80.3 |
| 2 | Rugby 7s | 79.6 |
| 3 | American Football | 79.3 |
| 4 | Ultimate (Frisbee) | 79.3 |
50 more rowsWhat Is the Hardest Sport to Go Pro In?
- Wrestling. Wrestling is one of the oldest sports in the world. ...
- Figure Skating. ...
- Golf. ...
- Water Polo. ...
- Gymnastics. ...
- Strongman. ...
- Ironman. ...
- 11 comments.
Dance can also be classified as a sport because it is equally as dangerous as any other sport – dancers are prone to lifetime injuries. Both teams and individuals can compete in dance competitions for their own entertainment and the entertainment of spectators. Yes, dance fits within the sports category.
1 Gymnastics Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of exercises requiring strength, flexibility, balance and control.
- I am a gymnast and everything in this article is very true and there is much more work put in then what is said in this article. ...
- To be honest, gymnastics is the hardest sport.
The NBA. With each player taking home a handsome 8.32 million U.S. dollars every year, the NBA is the professional sports league with the highest player wages worldwide.
What is the NBA salary cap for 2023 23? ›
In September, the NBA raised its salary cap projection for the 2023-24 season from $133 million to $134 million with a luxury tax threshold of $162 million. That's an 8.37 percent increase from the current 2022-23 campaign's $122.7 million salary cap and a 7.81 percent increase in the tax threshold from $150.3 million.
Who will be the highest paid NBA player in 2023? ›
What is the #1 sport in America? ›
Football continues to be the most popular sport in the United States. According to Gallup.com, 37% of U.S. adults picked football as their favorite sport to watch. Football has been the favorite since 1972.
Is there a salary cap in NFL? ›
The NFL salary cap places a limit on how much teams can pay players on their roster in a given season. For the 2023 campaign, that figure is set at $224.8 million.
How much is the NFL salary cap? ›
The NFL has been looking to see how much more they could be able to give teams due to the profits gained in the last calendar year. The NFL is setting the Salary Cap at $224.8 million for every team in 2023. This is a raise from the $208.2 million that it was in 2022.
What is a hard salary cap? ›
A salary cap can be defined as a hard cap or a soft cap. A hard cap represents a maximum amount that may not be exceeded for any reason.
What is the 2 highest paying sport? ›
Highest Paying Sports in the World
Basketball is the highest paid sport in the world, with the average annual salary in the NBA in 2023 being nearly $10.5 million. This is more than double the average salary in the NFL, which sits in second place at $4.5 million.
Who is richest NBA player? ›
1. Michael Jordan Net Worth - $2.2 Billion. Viewed by many as the greatest player in NBA history, Jordan has turned his basketball acumen into a multi-billion dollar enterprise. The six-time NBA Champion made over $90 million as a player and makes $130 million a year from Nike, as part of his iconic "Air Jordan" brand.
Hollywood's highest-paid actors in 2022
- Tom Cruise - 100M.
- Will Smith - 35M.
- Leonardo DiCaprio - 30M.
- Brad Pitt - 30M.
- Dwayne Johnson - 22,5M.
- Chris Hemsworth - 20M.
- Vin Diesel - 20M.
- Tom Hardy - 20M.
