It comes as no surprise that sports is one of the most lucrative ventures in the world. Be it, from the enterprise or individual perspective, global sports generate billions in revenue annually.
Naturally, the highest-paid sports produce the highest-paid athlete salaries all over the globe. To that end, let’s explore the best-paid sports and sporting events around and just how much their athletes earn playing them.
Highest-Paid Sports In the World: How Much Pay Do Top Players Earn in 2025?
From basic contract pay to performance-related bonuses and endorsement deals, athletes in the world’s highest-paid sports earn millions in dollars yearly. These sports can afford to pay these huge wages due to their global popularity, sponsorships, and most importantly, broadcasting rights.
Without further ado, let’s dive straight into these sports, their average salaries, and how they’re so lucrative.
Basketball (NBA) – Average Salary of $7 Million for a top sports team
Michael Jordan, Legendary NBA star – “I never lost a game, I just ran out of time… and I still got paid.”
Without any findings, Basketball is one of the most famous sports in the world. Particularly with the NBA, basketball produces some of the best-paid athletes in the world every year. Putting a number on it, the average salary of NBA players climaxes at $7 million.
Again, this outrageous number is no surprise to anyone with knowledge of the NBA’s prominence. The league has massive TV rights, some of the biggest sponsorship deals, and a global fan base.
Away from the average pay, the biggest NBA stars like Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Steph Curry have secured contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
American Football (NFL) – $3.2 million (average salary)
At $16 billion in revenue, the NFL is the most valuable sports league in the world and the most popular sports league in the US. Unsurprisingly, it is also home to some of the highest-paid athletes in the world.
On average, NFL stars take home roughly $3.2 million yearly. Since NFL contracts are not as guaranteed as those of the NBA, much of a player’s salary depends on performance-related factors.
In all, quarterbacks generally earn slightly above the average range. This is pretty evident as some of the highest-paid stars in the sports are quarterbacks. Typical examples like Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes taking home salaries of over $40 million every year.
Formula 1 – $4.1 million (Average Salary)
Formula 1 is the leading race sport globally, producing some of the most iconic drivers in the sport’s history. Also, the sports league has one of the most diversified portfolios when it comes to partnerships and sponsorships.
In essence, F1 partners with big names from several industries, including Energy, Clothing, Finance as well as casino gambling.
Soccer – $3.9 million (Average Salary)
Many sports fans would be fairly surprised that football is not the highest-paid sport in the world. And the reasons for this are merely statistical. Being the most popular sport in the world, football covers more ground, and consequently, its revenue is stretched thin.
Nevertheless, football stars are still some of the best-paid athletes in the world.
Many star players have huge sponsorship deals with big brands. Ronaldo, the Brazilian soccer legend, has several agreements with brand ambassadors, including casinos, for example, the former Real Madrid player is the face of the PokerStars brand.
Brazilian striker Neymar, who plays for club Santos, is also the face of the PokerStars brand. His association with top brands highlights the importance of responsible gambling.
Also, there are rumors that CasinoCanada, a website offering reviews of the best casinos, is looking to become a sponsor of a well-known football player, such as Kylian Mbappé from Paris Saint-Germain.
This potential partnership would help expand CasinoCanada’s presence in the world of sports and further promote its platform, showcasing its trusted reviews of top gambling establishments and exciting сasino promotions that attract players seeking the best offers.
Below are some of the highest-paid elite players around:
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassar) $285 million annually
- Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) $135 million annually
- Karim Benzema (Al Ittihad) 104 million annually
- Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid) 90 million annually
NASCAR – $1 million (average salary)
The second Motorsport on the list, NASCAR is very popular in the United States. On average, its drivers earn a little over $1 million, with only top drivers like Kyle Larson earning way more.
Also, top NASCAR events like the Daytona 500 offer players significant prize monies aside from their paychecks.
Boxing – $37,501 (average salary)
Floyd Mayweather, undefeated boxing champion – “When I fight, every person that’s watching is putting money in my pocket.”
You may have heard of the top boxing fights that made huge numbers with fighters going home with several millions for one fight.
However, this feat doesn’t represent the average boxer’s numbers.
Per fight basis and on average, boxers make a little over $37,000. Nevertheless, this number doesn’t account for fight bonuses and pay-per-view percentages.
Fun fact: The fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor on August 26, 2017, is the highest-ever grossing boxing fight, generating over $600 million in total revenue, making it the richest boxing event ever.
Highest Pay In Professional Sports League
The sports world is one where talent, dedication, and passion get generously rewarded. While not all players go home with a multimillion-dollar paycheck, a few do. Exceptionally talented people can make huge amounts of money in the sports listed above.
