Top 5 highest-paid sport in the world are Basketball, Boxing, American Football, Soccer, and Golf. The average NBA salary is around $10.5 million.
It is difficult to put them in order as there are a lot of factors such as earnings through salaries and commercials to be taken into consideration.
The above-mentioned sports are among the most popular sports and that makes them more lucrative. It attracts millions of people worldwide throughout the year who tune in to watch their favorite teams and players play at the highest level.
Athletes are more than just players who play a certain sport but are icons who are loved by the fans due to their unrivaled talents and skills. The players add value to the sport and the teams and in return are rewarded with such lavish deals.
Although the NFL is one of the most high-paying sports and among the most watched sport, no player of the NFL falls in the Top 10 list of the highest-paid athletes in the world by Forbes.
Roger Federer has already retired from professional tennis and yet he falls on the list at number nine with earnings of $95.1 million but that was all from endorsements.
Basketball
Basketball ranks high in the list of highest paid sports in the world. Played in a 5v5 format, basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891.
The average net worth of the teams in the NBA is $2.86 billion. Golden States Warriors are valued at $7 billion and generate a whopping $765 million in revenue.
Stephen Curry had a base salary of $48.07 million in 2022, and will most likely earn $51.9 million in the upcoming 2023-24 season. He sits at No. 8 on the Forbes list with $100.4 million in earnings.
LeBron James has become the highest-paid player in the league's history. His two-year contract extension deal is worth $97.1 million and will now have guaranteed career earnings of $532 million. He made $119.5 million in earnings and sits at No. 4 on the Forbes list for 2023.
Top 5 highest-paid NBA players in the 2022-23 season:
| Stephen Curry | $48.07 million |
| LeBron James | $44.47 million |
| Kevin Durant | $44.11 million |
| Bradley Beal | $43.27 million |
| Damian Lillard | $42.49 million |
Boxing
Modern-day boxing has become one of the highest paying sports in the world with Canelo Alvarez making $110 million, 5th in the Forbes list.
Boxing has been able to grasp a lot of interest and has become one of the most lucrative sports in the world with household names going home with a big paycheck.
The combat sport can be dated as back as 688 BC (Ancient Greece), it has come a long way. It being one of the oldest sports, it has grown on so many levels and has become a very popular sport and boxers make quite a sum of money for a single fight.
In the boxing world, boxers are not paid in terms of salaries but earn per fight. The bigger the name, the higher they get paid. Renowned boxers will get people to pay to watch them fight and that is where all the money is generated. They earn additional money from the PPV share per fight.
Floyd "Money" Mayweather is one of the most lucrative boxers in today's world. He faced Conor McGregor in 2017 and was dubbed as the biggest fight in combat sports history. Mayweather alone made $275 million for a single fight that night.
Many sports personalities dream of earning that sum of money throughout their lengthy sporting careers and he did it in one single night.
NFL (American Football)
The NFL is one of the most popular leagues in the United States. It has been captivating huge fans as they turn up in numbers to the games.
The 32 teams earn enormous revenues and are now worth $4.47 billion on average. Dallas Cowboys is valued at $8 billion and generates $1.087 billion in revenue.
The players in the league too are paid a very high sum of money as salaries with the top players making quite a fortune. Patrick Mahomes has an average salary of $45 million after he signed a 10-year extension with the Chiefs.
He will make a total of $450 million which includes a $10 million bonus and he will be guaranteed a $141,581,905 paycheck. His average salary is not the highest in the league but his total value is way above others.
Russell Wilson, quarterback for the Denver Broncos earned $85 million which makes him 12th on the list of the highest-paid athletes.
Here is a list of the Top 5 NFL players and their average salaries:
| Lamar Jackson | $52.0 million |
| Jalen Hurts | $51.0 million |
| Aaron Rodgers | $50.2 million |
| Russell Wilson | $49.0 million |
| Kyler Murray | $46.1 million |
Soccer
Global icon Cristiano Ronaldo made $136 million while Lionel Messi made $130 million making soccer the most paid sports in the world.
Likewise, Kylian Mbappe also earned a humongous sum of $120 million. The trio made the Forbes list of the highest-paid athletes of 2023 as the top three finishers and rightfully so as they are among the most famous sports personalities in the world.
Soccer is considered the most famous sport with a huge fan base of almost 4 billion across the world. It is not only limited to a certain region but is popular worldwide.
With such popularity comes high prices and soccer players and teams earn quite a generous amount of money. The average value of the world's 30 most valuable teams is $2.17 billion. Real Marid is valued at $6.07 billion.
Ronaldo can never be left out of the conversation related to player wages as Ronaldo's move to Al Nassr will see him earn more as he has signed a mammoth deal that will see him earn around $200 million.
The top 5 highest earners in soccer:
| Cristiano Ronaldo | $136 million |
| Lionel Messi | $130 million |
| Kylian Mbappe | $120 million |
| Neymar | $85 million |
| Mohamed Salah | $53 million |
Golf
Golf has always been one of the most cash-rewarding sports in history. The players are paid on the basis of their individual performances.
The total purse money is distributed among players and it is vital for a player to go deeper in the tournament and earn as much money as they can along with the points.
Scottie Scheffler has earned over $19 million in the 2023 PGA Tour money list and is the leader with the highest earnings. Although a big sum, it is nothing in comparison to what LIV Golf players are getting paid.
Dustin Johnson made $107 million with only $5 million coming from off-course earnings. Phil Mickelson sits right behind Johnson, earning $106 million with only $2 million coming from off-course earnings.
Dustin and Phil are placed sixth and seventh respectively on the list of the Top 10 highest-paid athletes of 2023. All thanks to the Saudi-backed league who have provided the players with such opportunities.
