The sport produced the highest-paid athlete globally in 2021 – Connor McGregor with total earnings of $180 million. American Football has some of the highest-paid sportspersons in the world. The top earner in 2021 was Dark Prescott, with a total income of $107.5 million, followed by Tom Brady with $76 million.
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In 2025, the top 10 sports leagues in the world combined for total revenues of $512.14 billion. That’s a lot of cash lining the pockets of executives and athletes globally. Volleyball players make an average salary of $19,910 to $187,200 as professionals, with a typical wage of $44,680. Additionally, it is recognized as a form of recreation, and nearly 800 million people worldwide take part in it.
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- While these ten sports dominate in terms of global fan base, several others come close to making the list.
- The MLB has a minimum salary of over $500,000 per year, meaning that even the lowest-earning professionals take home a significant paycheck.
- She spent a year working full-time, juggling childcare and her job and paying for breakfast club on top of nursery fees, before asking to reduce her hours again.
- The most popular tennis tournaments and events are the US Open, French Open, and Grand Slams.
- Ice Hockey is governed by International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and National Hockey League (NHL) is the strongest professional ice hockey league in the world.
- A small reduction was finally agreed in exchange for her remaining as head of department, but the timetable still left her struggling to manage her responsibilities.
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A professional in the NHL earns around US$2.2 million per year on average. Canada and the United States, of course, play a large role in that market value. Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs was the highest-paid player last season, earning US$15.9 million. Ice Hockey is the world’s seventh-highest paid sport and also one of the most popular, most-watched sports in the USA. Ice Hockey is a contact team sport that is played on ice either indoor or outdoor rink.
Median Pro Boxer Salary: $51,370
With career earnings from prize purses surpassing $500 million, Floyd Mayweather Jr is the highest earner in boxing. Most of his earnings come from fight purses, pay-per-view shares, and his own promotion company. In fact, Floyd Mayweather Jr made $287,313 per punch, more than even Conor McGregor. MMA fighters’ earnings consider fight frequency, popularity, and sponsorship opportunities.
Retired tennis great Serena Williams, who won 23 singles majors, earned $41.8 million in 2021 according to Forbes. The top 100, dominated by stars from football, the NBA, NFL, golf, and boxing, collectively earned an estimated US$6.2 billion (£4.9b) in 2024. The sports news site’s rankings of the top 100 highest-earning athletes, however, revealed a stark gender disparity, with no women making the cut. In 2024, over 40 percent of the value of global women’s sport was generated through soccer. In contrast, revenue from women’s basketball contributed approximately 28 percent to the overall revenue in the industry. Golf attracts approximately 450 million fans worldwide, with a strong presence in Europe, North America, and Asia.
The US president’s 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports took effect, impacting UK products worth hundreds of millions of pounds. It was a week when we learned what happens when you try to stand up to Trump’s trade war (Canada, EU), and when an alternative, passive approach was put into action (UK). Research by The Co-operative Bank earlier last year found that London is the most expensive place for childcare, with monthly full-time childcare costs reaching £1,781 on average. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls.
With the years of thrill and excitement provided by this sport, boxing has always been one of the most entertaining and famous sports worldwide. Basketball is a growing sport with a significant following in the United States, China, and Europe. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of the most popular and lucrative professional leagues. Golf ranks fourth in the list of highest-paid sports wherein the highest-paid golfer has made $127 million a year. However, if you want to opt for a sports career for yourself or your kids, you should definitely have a look at our list of the highest-paid sports in the world.
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Most Decorated Athlete Ever
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It is the dream of most football players around the world to join the league. NFL has the highest average attendance in the world while compared to go to this web-site all other professional sports leagues. The game comes in at number four on the list of sports with the highest salaries, with the highest-paid golfer earning $127 million annually.
We can’t go without mentioning the fact that the sportspeople who are at the centre of every action enjoy substantial financial benefits. If you’re aspiring to join any sport based on how lucrative it is, we hope our article provided you with great insight. American Football (Gridiron) is, no doubt the biggest sport in North America. Census carried out confirmed the fact that 40% of viewers watching ESPN channels in the US American love football as their favourite sports. Also, sportspeople, schoolchildren and college students play American football regularly. Founded in 1921, the NFL, for the most part, is only popular in the United States.