10 Highly Paid Sports In The World In 2023
The 10 highest-paid sports in the world in 2023 are here below.
1. Basketball
Basketball is the highest-paid sport in the world because it has a massive global following and generates billions of dollars in revenue from television rights, sponsorships, and merchandise sales. Professional basketball players are also some of the most recognizable and marketable athletes in the world, which leads to higher salaries and endorsements.
2. Football (Soccer)
Football is the highest-paid sport in the world because of its immense global popularity. The sport has been able to capture the interest of billions of fans across the world, and its governing bodies have been able to make significant amounts of money from lucrative television deals, sponsorship deals, and merchandise sales.
Football is also a sport that has become increasingly commercialized, with teams and players signing huge sponsorship deals with major companies. All of this money has meant that football players are now some of the highest-paid athletes in the world.
3. Baseball
Baseball is the highest-paid sport in the world due to its popularity and the number of money teams generates from ticket sales and television deals.
Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest-paid professional sports league in the world, with players earning an average of $4.3 million per year. This is followed by the NFL ($3.3 million), NBA ($7.7 million), and NHL ($2.9 million).
4. Tennis
According to Forbes, the highest-paid professional athletes in the world are from the sport of professional tennis, with Roger Federer taking the top spot the highest-paid athlete in the world.
Professional tennis players are able to make large sums of money due to their success in major tournaments such as the Grand Slams, as well as lucrative sponsorship deals and endorsements.
5. Golf
Golf is the highest-paid sport in the world because of the large prize money available in professional tournaments. Professional golfers can also earn significant amounts of money from sponsorships, endorsements, and other activities related to the sport.
Additionally, golf is a popular sport among the wealthy, and many of the top golfers come from affluent backgrounds, which further contributes to their high salaries.
6. Boxing
Boxing is the highest-paid sport in the world because of the large sums of money generated through pay-per-view events, sponsorship deals, and merchandise sales.
Professional boxers can earn millions of dollars for a single fight, while amateur boxers can still make good money through endorsements and prize money. Additionally, the sport has a long and rich history, with legendary boxers such as Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson becoming global icons.
7. Motorsports
Motorsports is one of the most expensive sports in the world due to its high costs of cars, teams, and infrastructure. As a result, the drivers who compete in the sport are often some of the highest-paid athletes in the world, with top drivers earning millions of dollars annually.
8. Cricket
Cricket is the highest-paid sport in the world due to its huge global popularity and vast amounts of money generated from international tournaments, broadcast rights, and sponsorship deals. The top players in the sport are some of the highest earners in the world, with salaries and endorsements worth millions of dollars.
9. American Football
American football is the highest-paid sport in the world due to its immense popularity, the huge television rights fees it generates, and the large salaries that players can earn.
The NFL alone rakes in billions of dollars in revenue each year, which is then paid out to players, coaches, and team owners. On average, NFL players earn the highest salaries of any sport, with the median salary in 2019 reported to be around $2 million.
10. Athletics (Track and Field)
The highest-paid sport in the world is basketball, with the average NBA player’s salary in 2019-2020 being over $7 million.
Track and field is not the highest-paid sport in the world, but it can be lucrative for the top athletes. Elite athletes may receive endorsement deals and prize money from competitions, and the top athletes can make a very comfortable living.
