Sports are a major source of entertainment for those who watch them and a major source of income for those who excel at them. There are numerous sports in the world that pays millions of dollars to their star athletes, boxing, golf and basketball being some of them. In this article, we have compiled and presented a list of top 10 highest paid sports in the world 2024.
Top 10 Highest Paid Sports in the World 2024
The table provides the list of the top 10 highest paid sports in the world along with the highest salary and the player to earn that salary.
| Sports | Highest Salary | Highest Paid Athlete |
| Boxing | $600 million | Floyd Mayweather Jr. |
| Golf | $127 million | Tiger Woods |
| Auto Racing | $127 million | Michael Schumacher |
| Soccer | $125 million | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| Basketball | $97.1 million | LeBron James |
| Tennis | $90 million | Roger Federer |
| American Football | $75 million | Tom Brady |
| Baseball | $38 million | Alex Rodriguez |
| Ice Hockey | $12.5 million | Connor McDavid |
| Wrestling | $12 million | Brock Lesnar |
World’s 10 Highest Paid Sports
Now that you know the highest paid sports, let us learn a little bit more about them in detail.
Boxing
Boxing is the highest paid sport in the world with Floyd Mayweather Jr. being reportedly being paid a whopping 600 million dollars for a fight against Conor McGregor. Boxing is not just one of the most popular sports but also one of the oldest in human history. George Foreman, Tysoe Fury, Logan Paul, etc are other popular name related to this sport. Also Check Richest Boxers in the world
Golf
After boxing, Golf is the world’s second highest paying sports in the world which is quite a popular sport in Unites States and Europe. Tiger Woods is the richest and the highest played golf player in the world. Golf is a very sophisticated sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes. See Richest Golfers in the world
Auto Racing
Auto Racing is a very popular sport all over the globe from Australia to Asia, Europe and the States. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) is the governing body of auto racing. It is one of the highest paid sports in the world with Micheal Schumacher as the highest paid driver. check top Richest Car Racers in the world
Soccer
Soccer can be termed as one of the world’s most popular sports. In this sport, various tournaments are conducted to choose the winner of prestigious FIFA league. Soccer is the fourth highest paid sport in the world with a maximum salary of 125 million dollars. The salary was offered to the star soccer player Christiano Ronaldo.
Basketball
The National Basketball Association has some of the highest paid athletes of all time and it is also one of the highest paid sports of the world. The sports has produced many great legendary players of all time including Michael Jordon, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, etc.
Also Check: Most Famous Sports in the World
Tennis
Tennis makes it to sixth rank in the list of top 10 highest paid sports in the world with 90 million dollars as the maximum fees paid. The sports is managed by the International Tennis Fondation (ITF). Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovich are legendary tennis players known as the Big Three of this sports
American Football
The National Football League (NFL) is the most popular league based in the United States which manages one of the highest paid sports of the world, American Football. Roger Staubach, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Steve Young, Drew Brees, etc are some of the most popular and richest player of the sports. check Richest NFL Players
Baseball
Next to feature in the list of world’s highest paid sports is baseball which is managed by the International Baseball Federation (IBF). The sport is one of the most popular in United States and Europe along with other countries across the globe. Alex Rodriguez or A-Rod is the highest paid baseball player.
Ice Hockey
Ice Hockey is the most popular game in canada and there are numerous amazing ice hockey players who have emerged from this country. It is also one of the most watched and highest paid sports with Connor McDavid being the highest paid player. The highest paid sum is of whopping $12.5 million.
Wrestling
The list of top 10 highest paid sports in the world concludes with the sports of wrestling. Brock Lesnar is the highest-paid WWE performer, earning a reported $12 million. Other notable wrestlers include Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, The Undertaker, etc. there are multiple leagues that conduct wrestling matches, WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) being the most famous.
FAQs
Boxing
May Floydweather Jr.
$600 million
