One of the most common accusations that the NBA faces is that NBA officials are told (and presumably paid) to sway the outcome of a game. Sometimes, it’s said that this is because a win for the more popular team will boost ratings for the game. Other times, people claim that the NBA deliberately tries to extend the length of a seven-game series as much as possible, so as to be able to make more money from the series. Considering how much athletes are paid, it’s easy to see why some may believe this to be the case. Extending beyond just basketball, these organizations make a lot of money, thus being able to pay their athletes quite a considerable amount as well. Treating these sports leagues as businesses, the athletes essentially drive viewership, thereby being a key money-making factor for the organizations themselves.

Top 5 Highest Paying Sports in 2026 – Updated List

However, not all sports quite share the same level of audience attraction. Thus, and while other factors certainly come into play, it makes sense that some athletes for some sports are paid more than others. With that being said, here are the Top 5 Highest Paying Sports.

5 – American Football

To begin the list is American Football and its most popular parent organization, the National Football League (NFL).

In the United States, American Football viewership statistics are something to certainly be desired, definitely showcasing the popularity of the sport. For example, the top 12 shows of the Fall 2012 season, according to ratings and viewership statistics, were all games put on by the NFL. The average viewership of the National Broadcasting Company’s (NBC) Sunday Night Football alone is at a whopping 23.7 million viewers. To put this into perspective, NBC’s hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory achieved an average viewership of 19.96 million at its peak.

This isn’t even taking into account pro football’s largest event of the year, the Superbowl, which breaks viewership records year after year. In fact, millions around the world tune in simply to watch the event-specific commercials, and the extravagant halftime shows, featuring the most popular entertainers. With the kind of following American Football has, it’s no wonder why their athletes are said to be paid an average salary of $1.9 million.

4 – Golf

This list is in many ways difficult to construct. When comparing how much each sport pays, its important to remember that each sport, and it’s given parent organizations, all operate differently.

Golf is one of the sports that exemplifies this perfectly, as how much money a player makes is largely dependent on which and how many tournaments he or she may win. This system differs from American Football, for example, as NFL teams are guaranteed to play a certain number of games throughout the regular season, how much a given player may earn isn’t technically on a per-win basis.

However, this doesn’t change the fact that Professional Golfer’s Association (PGA) tour golfers end up earning millions of dollars. Famed golfer Tiger Woods, for example, holds the record for being the highest-paid athlete on the annual Forbes list eleven times. On the current 2016 PGA tour money list, all of the top 23 golfers have earned more than $2 million so far, with Jason Day being at the top of the list with roughly $5.6 million in earnings.

3 – Auto Racing

Once again on the list is a sport that pays on a per-win basis, Auto Racing. It’s no secret that this sport in particular is one of high risk.

Even in daily life, many are scared to ever get into a car accident, even considering that the average speed one travels in their car on a typical day isn’t really that high. For race car drivers however, the stakes are much higher. Driving at hundreds of miles per hour, the slightest mishandle of the vehicle could mean certain death not only for the diver himself but also for the drivers he may be competing against. With that being said, the risks of the sport are offset by the amount of prize money that comes with winning a headlined race. In 2013 for example, team Red Bull finished in 1st place, earning a total of $101.5 million for the season. Even the team who finished 8th, Toro Rosso, walked away from the season having pocketed a total of $56 million.

2 – Boxing

Once again offsetting the sport’s danger, this time the risk being potentially beating your opponent to death, boxing likewise has a reputation for paying its athlete’s large sums of money.

Sometimes, even the loser of the fight walks away with more money than the average athlete in one of this list’s prior entries. While earning money from winning or losing fights directly, the boxers also receive money from pay-per-view earnings, which typically fluctuate with how high-profile the fighters are. Perhaps the most notorious example in the sport would be Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr, who recently retired with a perfect 49 – 0 record throughout his career. In 2015, Floyd finished on top of Forbes’s annual list of highest-paid athletes. Throughout his career, Floyd has accumulated of $700 million in earnings, and he continues to make millions even now that he’s retired. Whether you like him or not, Floyd Mayweather Jr. perfectly shows why Boxing finishes second on this list of highest-paying sports.

1 – Basketball

Basketball is the world’s highest-paid sport. What’s the average salary for an NBA player? Around $7.5 million, They don’t just get paid for their games either, they also earn a huge amount from sponsorships. Take LeBron James, for example, he earns $70 million from endorsements alone. Other highly-paid NBA stars include Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Klay Thompson.

And NBA referees get paid a fair amount as well. Not as much as the players themselves, but still a considerable amount—around the $200,000 a year mark. Of course, that’s just the average. Some veteran referees earn way more than that. Take James Capers, for example, he earns upward of $550,000 a year and that’s not including the extra fees he receives for calling individual matches.

The post Top 5 Highest Paying Sports – 2026 List appeared first on Gazette Review.

#10 – Luis Suárez

The first professional athlete on Instagram that we’re going to be talking about is Luis Suárez. This professional footballer has 22.3 million followers on the platform. Suárez was originally born in Uruguay, and he plays striker for both the Uruguay national team and FC Barcelona. Luis is a seriously talented striker, holding the all-time record for goal scoring on the Uruguay national team. He’s a bit of a controversial player, with some people believing that he tends to play dirty. He was even found guilty by the Football Association of racial abuse against Patrice Evra. However, there’s no denying that Suárez is a major talent on the field. Last year, The Guardian named him the third best football player in the entire world. That’s a bold claim, but he certainly has the track record to back it up. If his Instagram account is any indication, he’s very popular, too.

#9 – Ronaldinho

Next, we’re going to talk about another professional footballer. Ronaldo Moreira, known simply as Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian footballer who currently serves as an ambassador for FC Barcelona. He has 23.1 million followers on Instagram, and over the years he has put a considerable amount of work into playing for the Brazil national team. He has played a whopping 97 matches with the team, scoring 33 goals through those matches. Ronaldinho is a seriously talented attacking midfielder, and he was named the FIFA World Player of the Year in both 2004 and 2005. In a list compiled by the legendary Pelé, this Brazilian superstar was named one of the greatest living soccer players of all time. He may not be quite as much of a big name as Luis Suárez, but he certainly has his fans.

#8 – Zlatan Ibrahimović

Zlatan Ibrahimović is the next professional athlete on our list, with 25.2 million followers on Instagram. As you may have been able to discern from his name, Zlatan is Swedish. However, he plays football as a forward for Manchester United, which is obviously an English club. He also played for the Swedish national team for a time, serving as a captain starting in 2010 but deciding to retire from international football in 2016. His international career may be over now, but it was certainly a significant one. Ibrahimović is a member of an elite group of footballers who have made 100 or more appearances with Sweden’s national team. Not only that, but Zlatan holds the honor of being Sweden’s all-time leading goalscorer, with 62 goals. This guy is probably the greatest footballer in Sweden right now, and needless to say, this has guaranteed him a certain degree of fame.

#7 – Gareth Bale

Now it’s time to talk about Gareth Bale, and he’s certainly a recognizable name in the football world. Bale has 29.2 million followers on Instagram. He was originally born in Cardiff, Wales, and so he competes with the Wales national team. However, he also plays for Real Madrid, the Spanish football club. Gareth is winger who originally began his career playing for Southampton, but he’s probably more well known for playing with Tottenham Hotspur for a significant chunk of time. He had over 100 appearances with Tottenham Hotspur, scoring over 40 goals. Bale began playing internationally in 2006, which at the time made him the youngest person to ever play for the Welsh national team. He’s currently the second highest goalscorer to ever play for the national team, sitting just behind Ian Rush. Bale may not have scored as many goals as Ian Rush, but he definitely has more Instagram followers than he does!

#6 – LeBron James

We’ve mostly talked about footballers so far, but LeBron James is ready to break that streak. He has 30.4 million followers on Instagram, and that seem like a fair amount when you consider that he’s thought to be the greatest basketball player alive right now. He plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers right now, but he’s also known for work that he has done with the Miami Heat. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, straight out of high school. James is an undeniably gifted small forward, and he has been named the NBA’s most valuable player four times between 2009 and 2013. He has also been named the MVP of the NBA Finals three times between 2013 and 2016. He’s pretty much always been in the spotlight, and he’s flourished there. LeBron is probably one of the most influential people in sports in the United States, and he has the Instagram follower count to match.

#5 – James Rodriguez

It seems like we’re right back to talking about professional footballers. James Rodriguez is Colombian, and he’s made a real name for himself playing for both Real Madrid and the Colombia national team. He primarily play as an attacking midfielder, but he’s also capable of playing winger. Rodriguez has 31.2 million followers on Instagram, and that number is just sure to rise as his popularity in the sport increases. Rodriguez is only 25 years old, but he’s considered one of the best players to come out of his generation. He’s scored 19 goals during his 54 appearances with the Colombia national team, and he has scored 28 goals during this 77 appearances with Real Madrid. He may be a younger guy, but he’s definitely proved himself on the field.

#4 – David Beckham

People living in the United States may not be that well-versed in football (or soccer, as we know it), but I think that a lot of us have at least heard of David Beckham. He’s one of the more well-known footballers in the world, partially due to his talent and partially due to the fact that he’s played in so many different places. He’s the only English player to have won league titles in four different countries. Beckham is retired today, but he is still renowned for his level of play with Manchester United, LA Galaxy, and the English national team. David Beckham’s popularity extends past his work in sports, too. He has very high profile marriage to Victoria Beckham, and his children are also frequently thrust into the public eye. Basically, he’s a public figure, and his 37.1 million Instagram followers support that fact.

#3 – Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi is considered by many to be one of the greatest football players of all time. He’s a forward, and he currently plays for both the Argentina national team FC Barcelona, which is a Spanish club. Messi holds numerous records. In 2012, he established himself as the all-time top scorer for FC Barcelona, which definitely isn’t something to scoff at. Over the course of his career, he has scored over 500 senior career goals. Regarding his international career, Messi has scored a whopping 58 goals through 117 appearances with Argentina. As someone who was shorter and left-footed, Messi was sort of an underdog when he entered football. He was injury prone during his early years, but fast forward to today and he’s a huge success story. Not to mention, he has 72.4 million followers on Instagram.

#2 – Neymar

Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, known simply as Neymar, is another highly talented player to come from Brazil. He’s a forward, and he plays for the Brazil national team and for FC Barcelona, alongside Lionel Messi. Neymar is a young guy, but in a relatively short period of time, he has rocketed to prominence in football. Since 2010, he has scored 52 goals in 77 appearances with Brazil’s national team. If you don’t know a lot about football, let me enlighten you: that’s majorly impressive. He’s also had a very strong senior career with Barcelona, scoring 68 goals in 123 appearances. Neymar has been compared to the legendary Pelé, and in 2016 ESPN named him one of the world’s most famous athletes. As of this writing, this footballing legend has a total of 75.2 million followers on Instagram.

#1 – Cristiano Ronaldo

Like David Beckham and Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of those names that even Americans who aren’t familiar with football are probably familiar with. He’s easily the most famous football player alive right now, and there are many who would argue that he is the best football player of all time. Cristiano is a forward from Portugal, and he plays for Real Madrid as well as the Portugal national team. His move from Manchester United to Real Madrid way back in 2009 was worth $132 million, so I think it’s safe to say that he’s an athlete who is held in high regard by his peers. In 2016, he was the world’s best paid athlete, and today, he’s probably the world’s most famous athlete. Ronaldo is a seriously gifted player, and he has 102 million followers on Instagram.

The post Top 10 Pro Athletes on Instagram – 2018 Update appeared first on Gazette Review.

10) Kobe Byrant – Total earnings: $49.5 million

Coming in at number ten is Kobe Byrant, professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Byrant entered 2016 with a total salary of $23.5 million. He received a further $26 million in endorsements bringing his total earnings to $49.5 million.

Kobe Byrant was born on August 23^rd, 1978 and entered into his professional basketball playing career directly from High School after being recognised as the top High School Basketball player in the country. Byrant has played with the Los Angeles Lakers for twenty seasons thus breaking the record for most seasons with the same team. Byrant announced that he would retire after the 2015-2016 season.

Over his twenty-year career, Byrant has been named as an All-Star a total of eighteen times. Byrant is a fifteen-time member of the All-NBA Team and a twelve-time member of the All-Defensive League.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for Byrant however as in 2003 he was accused of sexual assault in Colarado. Although the case was dropped in 2004, it was a difficult period for Byrant with the rumours damaging his reputation. Endorsement contracts he had held with McDonalds and Nutella at the time were terminated by the respective companies.

Although such allegations would have been permanently damaging for many athletes, this did not see the end of endorsements offered to Byrant and as the figures above suggest he has most certainly earned his place on the top 10 paid athletes in the world.

9) Tiger Woods – Total earnings: $50.6 million

At number nine we have golf superstar Tiger Woods who has enjoyed one of the most successful careers of all time in the golfing world. Woods has been one of the highest paid athletes in the world for a number of years. Woods entered 2016 with a total salary of just $0.6 million but received an additional $50 million in endorsements bringing his total earnings to $50.6 million.

Born on December 30^th, 1975, Woods turned professional at the age of 20 following an impressive amateur golfing career. Within his first year as a professional golfer, Woods had won the Masters in 1997, one of the four majors and probably the most respected golf tournament in the world. Woods had reached the world number one spot by June 1997, an incredibly impressive feat just a year after turning professional.

During the 2000’s Woods was a dominant force in the golfing world and he spent many periods during that time as World Number One. However, late in 2009, scandal hit Woods when he started experiencing marital difficulties. Following his separation from then wife Elin, many women came forward revealing Woods’ indiscretions. Woods’ bad luck streak was not to last and he ascended to the number one spot once again in March 2013 where he remained for over a year. Since then however, Woods has been plagued with back injuries and has undergone surgery. It is unknown if Woods will return to play again but one is for sure – he will remain a legendary name in the golfing world.

8) Phil Mickelson – Total earnings: $50.2 million

Staying with golf, at number eight is Phil Mickelson. Entering into 2016 Phil’s total salary was $2.8 million with a further $48 million earned in endorsements giving him total earnings of $50.2 million.

Born on June 16^th, 1970, Mickelson has enjoyed a highly successful career in the golfing world.  Mickelson acquired the nickname ‘Lefty’ for his left-handed swing which is unusual as he is other-wise right-handed.

Mickelson has won three of the four professional major tournaments – only one of sixteen golfers to ever achieve this feat. The US Open is the only major that Mickelson has not been successful in winning, however he has come close finishing as a runner-up no more than six times!

Over the course of his golfing career to date, Mickelson has spent over 700 weeks in the top 10 of the World Golf Rankings and has reached world number two several times. With Mickelson’s golf career still going strong, his hopes of winning the US Open and adding to his already impressive earnings.

7) Kevin Durant – Total earnings: $54.1 million

Kevin Durant is a professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA. Durant had a salary of $19.1 million in the past year as well as endorsements of $35 million. This gives him a total earning of an impressive $54.1 million.

Twenty-seven-year-old Durant played one year of college basketball, winning numerous awards throughout that year. He was then selected by the Seattle SuperSonics however he relocated to Oklahoma City after his rookie season where he still plays today.

In 2014, Durant signed a ten-year deal with Nike. The deal is estimated to worth approximately $300 million.

Durant has been referred to as a “scoring prodigy” but is also well known for his kind and approachable demeanour off the court especially where his fans are concerned.

Durant has turned his hand to other fields too with him starring in his first movie in 2012 – Thunderstruck.

6) LeBron James – Total earnings: $64.8 million

Staying with basketball, coming in at number six on the list is LeBron James. LeBron James is an American professional basketball player with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. James finished 2015 with a salary of $20.8 million as well as receiving a further $44 million in endorsements. That brought his total earnings to a very nice $64.8 million.

James who was born on December 30^th 1984, started off playing high school basketball in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. James created quite the impression on the court with the national media promoting him as a “future NBA superstar”.

James started off playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007 and stayed there until 2010 when he left to join Miami Heat. The move was highly publicised by the media at the time. After playing four seasons with Miami Heat – two of which he won back to back championships – James made the decision to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers whom he still plays with now.

Similar to Durant, James had a number of high-paying endorsement deals. He too turned his hand to acting and starred in his first movie – Trainwreck – in 2015.

5) Roger Federer – Total earnings: $67 million

Ranked at number five on the list is tennis superstar Roger Federer. With a salary of $9 million as well as an additional $58 million in endorsements which totals $67 million in the last year alone, Federer is the only tennis professional tennis player to appear on the top ten list.

Federer is a professional Tennis player from Switzerland who was born on August 8^th 1981. Federer turned professional in 1998 and since 2002 has always been ranked in the top ten world players. Currently, Federer is ranked at world number three by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).

Federer, who is considered one of the best tennis players of all time holds many records including holding the world number one ranking for 302 weeks – 237 of those weeks were consecutive.

Federer who has a contract with Nike for the past ten years finds himself on this list with the help of endorsements from other huge brands such as Rolex, Lindt, Mercedes-Benz, Gillette and Moët & Chandon.

4) Lionel Messi  – Total earnings: $73.8 million

In the battle of world’s richest athlete, Lionel Messi finds himself ranked at number four. With an impressive salary of $51.8 million as well as endorsements to the value of $22 million, Messi entered 2016 with total earnings of a massive $73.8 million.

Lionel Messi is a professional footballer from Argentina. He plays as a forward for his club FC Barcelona as well as for his home country, Argentina. He had established himself as one of the world’s greatest players by age 20 and his talent and success has continued to grow throughout the years.  Messi is considered by most to be one of the greatest footballers of all time. That title is well deserved as Messi has set some impressive records over the past few years. He is the only player in the history of football to have won the prestigious FIFA World Player of the Year award or the FIFA Ballon d’Or a total of five times. What makes this feat even more impressive is that four of those times were consecutive.

Lionel Messi has been compared many times over the years to long-time rival Christiano Ronaldo. Whatever about on the playing field, Messi has fallen short of beating Ronaldo on this list.

3) Christiano Ronaldo – Total earnings: $79.6 million

Coming in at number three is Christiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo is a Portuguese, professional footballer. He plays as a forward for his club Real Madrid in Spain as well as being the current captain of his national team, Portugal. Ronaldo entered 2016 with a salary of $52.6 million. Along with endorsements of $27 million, Ronaldo had total earnings of $79.6 million.

Like Messi, Ronaldo has often been touted as the world’s best footballer with some going as far to say he is one of the best footballers of all time. By the time Ronaldo had reached just 22 years of age, he had been nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year or the Ballon d’Or. He won that award for the first time the following year – 2008 – and had won it twice since in 2013 and 2014.

Ronaldo has turned his hand to other fields too with him opening his own fashion store, co-designing his own range of socks and underwear and he’s even planning to launch his own fragrance. With all this going for him, it comes as no great surprise that Ronaldo features so high on this list.

2) Manny Pacquiao – Total earnings: $160 million

Manny Pacquiao is professional boxer from the Philippines. He is the only eight-division worlds champion the boxing world has ever seen and in the 2000’s, he was named as fighter of the decade. These accolades have helped push Pacquiao to number two on our list. Over the last year, Pacquiao has had a total salary of a whopping $148 million as well as a further $12 million in endorsements. That totals to a massive $160 million making it no surprise that Pacquiao features so highly on this list.

Pacquiao has been named as the best Asian fighter of all time and with good reason. Pacquiao is the longest reigning fighter to feature on the top ten list of pound-for-pound fighters.

In 2015, Pacquiao met with long-time rival, Floyd Mayweather in the ring in what was being described as the “Fight of the Century”. The fight did not live up to the public’s expectations however it was a big earner for both fighters so it comes as no big surprise that they feature in the number two and number spots of this list.

1) Floyd Mayweather Jr. – Total earnings: $300 million

The number one spot is filled with the ever controversial Floyd Mayweather Jr. Mayweather is a now retired professional boxer from the US. Last year he fought Manny Pacquiao after long negotiations. Although deemed a disappointing fight by fans, Mayweather dominated and won. Mayweather had a total salary of $285 million along with a further $15 million in endorsements, meaning his total earnings reached an incredible $300 million.

Mayweather has had a long and successful career and is considered to be one of the greatest boxers of his time. Mayweather has never been defeated since he turned professional, a phenomenon in itself.

Mayweather has faced controversy with him serving a jail term for domestic abuse but that did not affect the revenue he has earned. Earning his spot at the top of the list, they don’t call him Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather for nothing!

The post Wealthiest Athletes in 2018 – See Who Makes The Most Money appeared first on Gazette Review.