Top Ten: Earners in Sport

Rory McIlroy has recently signed a new sponsorship deal with Nike worth £150m which will see him rise up to become one of the most highest paid sportsmen in the world.

It is reported the deal will be over a ten year contract and eclipses the £124m deal that rival Tiger Woods has with Nike. Yet the world number one hasn’t managed to crack the top 10 just yet. Below we take a look at the current top 10 earners in sport over the last calendar year.

10. Peyton Manning – NFL

Starting off our top ten Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. The four-time MVP and former Superbowl winner, this year earned a tidy sum of £26.4 million pounds. His salary totalled up to around £20m with endorsements weighing in at just over £6m. He will soon see a drop in £2m however, as his new contract with the Broncos means he will only be earning £18m a year instead of £20m, feel for the poor fella.

9. Cristiano Ronaldo – Football

Lionel Messi maybe the best footballer ever, yet he doesn’t manage break into the top ten, his rival however does. Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo earned a total of £26.5m this year with his wages averaging around the £250,000 per week mark, earning him £12 million in one year. His endorsements however earn him around the £14 million pound mark. Nike, Castrol and Konami all contributing to that figure, at least the tank of his Morris Minor will always be full.

8. David Beckham – Football

Living legend in his own right and highest earning footballer on this list, former England captain David Beckham racked up an income of £29 million in total this year. The 37 year olds wages only came in at a measly £5 million, what a chump. But his endorsements tower over this small figure with the former Man United man raking in just over £24m. Adidas, Samsung, Sainbury’s and Burger King are all key sponsors for Beckham. Goldenballs could however either fly up the chart or drop considerably next year as he is now a free agent with 11 clubs vying for his signature. Better stay off the Bacon Double Cheeseburgers if you want to play high level football Dave.

7. Phil Mickelson – Golf

Swinging in at number seven is American golfer Phil Mickelson. £30m was his total intake for this year, and just like Beckham, his salary/winnings is outweighed by his endorsements. This however is expected as being a golfer you are not signed with any club so however much you earn depends on you. Big Phil managed to win around £3m in prize money over the last year, and earned just over £27m in sponsorship. Rolex, Barclays and Callaway all companies that the three time Masters winner endorses.

6. Kobe Bryant – NBA

La Lakers god and all round great of the Basketball scene Kobe Bryant is a household name wherever you go, plus the fact that the NBA is one of the highest paying leagues in sport, it’s not surprising to see his name on this list. Nike, Mercedes Benz, Coca Cola, Panini and Turkish Airlines all sponsor the black mamba totalling in an income of just under £20m. Bryant is always flying with pal Lionel Messi to impress children on board with their sick skills. His La Lakers salary added on top of his endorsements means he earned £32.3m this year. Not bad for a player in the latter stages of his career and at the age of 34.

5. Roger Federer – Tennis

The Fed express pulls in at five with the great man, who however is not world number one anymore but is still the only tennis player to feature on the list. Just like golf you depend on yourself to win your earnings, so unsurprisingly the Swiss star’s sponsorship intake outweighs his winnings. He managed to win just under £5m in all competitions this year. But he did take from Nike, Gillette, Rolex, Wilson and Mercedes Benz a whopping £28m, putting him on a grand total of £32.5 million. It was a close shave but Federer just pips Kobe Bryant out of his former position and into sixth.

4. LeBron James – NBA

King James is in the house and the poster boy of Basketball is the highest earning baller on our list with total earnings of £32.8 million beating off close competition in the forms of Kobe Bryant and Roger Federer. LeBron earns a healthy £8m from Miami Heat but profits most, like basically the rest of the list, through his endorsements. McDonalds, Nike, Dunkin Donuts and Coca Cola are all huge contributors to the King’s earnings with £25m coming from them. His fortune could rise over the next year as he has a large stake in Liverpool FC. But I think we would all be kidding ourselves if we really think Liverpool will do well this season.

3. Tiger Woods – Golf

Now there would not be a top earning sports star’s list without Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods in it. Well then again there probably would. Woods, who has dominated golf over the past 15 – 20 years has also been ever present in the top earning sports star’s list and this time finds himself at number three. His winnings this year haven’t been great coming in at under £3m, not the norm for someone who ten years ago would win nearly every tournament he entered. His sponsorship although is massive, with companies such as Nike, EA Sports and Rolex amongst others endorsed by him. A huge £34m was earned through these companies and puts Woods on a staggering £37m. He could be higher if Gillette and Tag Heuer had decided to renew their contracts with him, yet they decided against it. Perhaps you aren’t the best they can get Tiger.

2. Manny Pacquiao – Boxer

Pacman, who has been dubbed one of boxing’s greats, although he has lost his two most recent fights, is second on our list. It is more down to his winnings for him being up here than his endorsements however. Nike, Hewlett Packard and Monster Energy sponsor the great man and in total gave him just under £4m this year in earnings. His winnings for fights and pay per view receipts give him a figure of just over £35m, meaning he has a total of £39m for the year. If he would have drank enough Monster Energy and won both fights recently he would be at our number one spot, but there is another champ who eludes Pacquiao and makes it the top.

1. Floyd Mayweather – Boxer

Nicknamed ‘Money Mayweather’, the talented 35 year old has never been knocked out and has won all 43 professional bouts he has fought in. Mayweather only had two fights this year, one against Miguel Cotto which he won giving him a nice healthy £28m pay off, and a bout against Victor Ortiz which also saw ‘Money’ win handing him another £25m pay cheque. Giving him huge total winnings of £53m this year, but wait until you see his endorsements. He earned an incredible £0 from them, because he is not sponsored by anyone. Floyd Mayweather is the only sportsman on this list who does not rely on his endorsements to help him with his total income. He uses Mayweather Promotions, his own company, to promote his fights to grab huge paydays if he wins. He beats off competition from rival Pacquiao to claim the number one spot. Something else Mayweather can taunt Manny about in years to come.

There we have it the list of the top 10 earners in sport. There will of course be changes next year and providing Rory McIlroy will stay on top as world number one I can imagine him being in there. Lionel Messi, Neymar and Usain Bolt all miss out on the list but could make it next year. Who do you think may break into the top ten and who do you think maybe cut from above in the next 12 months? Post a comment and let us know.

By Jack Griffiths

@JGriffiths89