The highest paying sport? (2023)

Which sport is the highest paying sport?

Basketball is the highest paid sport in the world, with the average annual salary in the NBA in 2023 being nearly $10.5 million. This is more than double the average salary in the NFL, which sits in second place at $4.5 million.

East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) rookies earn a minimum of $415 per week and veterans make $460 per week over the course of a 72-game regular season, which comes out to less than $24,000 for the year.

The NBA. With each player taking home a handsome 8.32 million U.S. dollars every year, the NBA is the professional sports league with the highest player wages worldwide.

Soccer, also known as association football, is by far the most popular sport in the world, despite the fact that it may not be obvious in the United States. Soccer is the most popular sport in practically all of Europe, South America, Africa, the Middle East, Central America, and Asia.

Jobs like the bullpen catcher or the game announcer are some of the easiest in sports, but still bring a great deal of prestige to those who do them. These positions allow some to revel in the glory of being part of professional sports without having to wear themselves out game after game like the star players do.

Michael Jordan | $2.2 Billion | Basketball

After playing a total of 15 seasons in the NBA, playing for both the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards, there's no surprise that Michael Jordan is the richest athlete in the world.

American football takes the crown when it comes to popularity, and this is the most-watched sport in the US.

What is the highest paying job?

Cricket is an immensely complex game, but it is also the world's second-most popular sport.

According to Sports Virsa, the top 10 hardest sports in the world to play in 2022 are as follows: Boxing (hardest), American football, mixed martial arts, ice hockey, gymnastics, basketball, soccer, wrestling, rugby, and water polo.

Swimming

It may be surprising to most people that swimming is number 1 in the list of the most mentally challenging sports in the world. Many professional swimmers fall into a 7-day self-sabotage cycle. This is a period where they may doubt themselves and grow continuous stress on themselves.

In India, Cricket is the most popular sport and one which receives the most financial backing. It is no surprise that cricket seems like the most lucrative career option in the sports industry.

What sport requires a lot of work?

According to several studies about “science of muscles and movement” experts label boxing as the most demanding sport for an athlete. Boxing requires strength, power, endurance, and the ability to withstand huge hits over a period of time.

Today padel is the fastest growing sport in the world. Based on racket sales, it is estimated that 12 million people play it. In Spain, it is the second most popular sport after soccer, and in Sweden it is already played by more than 5% of the population.

But in terms of net worth, again, only three athletes have made it to the billionaires club. They are LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.

Tiger Woods now has an estimated net worth of at least $1 billion, according to Forbes. He joins LeBron James and Michael Jordan as the only athletes to reach the mark.

Now Woods can add one more accolade to his trophy case: the first athlete to earn $1 billion. Our calculations show that the $10 million bonus Woods earned winning this year's FedEx Cup title nudged him over the $1 billion mark in career earnings.

Despite being the most popular sport in the United States, football remains one of the lowest-paying professional sports in the country. Players in the NFL earn an average of $2 million annually—significantly less than professional basketball- and baseball-players.

The minimum salary for NFL rookies

For example, in 2021, rookies with zero years of service will earn a minimum salary of $705,000. This amount increases by $45,000 each year, reaching $1,065,000 in 2030.