Forbes Releases Its 2017 List Of The World's 100 Highest-Paid Athletes

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo Retains Top
Spot
NEW YORK (June 7, 2017) – Forbes released
today its annual ranking of the world’s 100
highest-paid athletes.  The top 100 earned a
total of $3.11 billion over the last 12 months,
a slight decrease from last year’s earnings of
$3.15 billion.  Endorsement income also
experienced a bit of a decline, down 4% to
$887 million this year. Real Madrid’s
Cristiano Ronaldo, with earnings of $93
million, retains the top spot for the second
consecutive year. Before Ronaldo, the best-
paid sports star was either Tiger Woods or
Floyd Mayweather for 15 straight years. Woods
ranks No. 17 this year, while Mayweather did
not make the cut, having had no fights over
the last 12 months. Cost of admission to the
2017 list is the highest ever at $21.4 million,
up $600,000 from the previous year.
“Massive TV contracts are fueling bigger
salaries across team sports, pushing the entry
level to qualify for the top 100 athletes higher
than ever, but the retirement of several
prolific endorsers like Peyton Manning and
Kobe Bryant dented sponsorship income this
year,” said Kurt Badenhausen, senior editor,
Forbes Media.
The list of elite athletes consists of players
from 11 different sports. Basketball
dominates the list with a record 32 NBA
players among the top 100, up from 18 in
2016, followed by baseball with 22 players,
football with 15 and soccer with 9.
There are 21 countries represented on this
year’s World’s Highest-Paid Athletes list, with
Americans (63) the most prevalent thanks to
sky-high salaries in basketball, football and
baseball. Six Brits landed in the top 100, led
by golfer Rory McIlroy at No. 6 with $50
million. NBA player Al Horford (No. 44 with
$28.1 million) heads five athletes from the
Dominican Republic, while three Spaniards
made the cut with F1’s Fernando Alonso on top
at No. 20 with $36 million. No other country
had more than two athletes in the 100.
Methodology: Forbes earnings figures include
all salaries and bonuses earned between June
1, 2016 and June 1, 2017. Endorsement
incomes are an estimate of sponsorship deals,
appearance fees and licensing income for the
12 months through June 1 based on
conversations with dozens of industry
insiders. The golfers’ income includes course
design work. We do not deduct for taxes or
agents’ fees, nor do we include investment
income. Our list includes only active in the last 12 months.

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