PGA Tour purses have ballooned to keep pace with LIV Golf’s big-money backers and the NFL is poised to opt out of its current broadcast deals for even bigger paydays before the decade is out.
Interestingly enough, the more things change in sports finance, the more they stay the same, at least when it comes to world’s richest athletes. This week, Sportico released its latest report on the 50 highest-earning athletes of all time, and despite the seemingly unchecked growth across sports, the two names at its pinnacle come as no surprise. Take a look.
As you probably guessed, Michael Jordan continued to lap the pack in 2024, adding to his CEO-like fortune with an estimated $300 million in Nike earnings. Second to His Airness is a name that will be familiar not just to golfers, but nearly every human being across the globe:
Like Jordan, the Big Cat is a veteran on this list, clocking in with inflation-adjusted career earnings of $2.79 billion. Woods is joined in the top 10 by fellow links icons Arnold Palmer (no. 6, $1.82 billion) and Jack Nicklaus (no. 7, $1.75 billion). Phil Mickelson (no. 11), Greg Norman (no. 15), Rory McIlroy (no. 24), Ernie Els (no. 35) and Gary Player (no. 37) make up the remainder of golf’s contributions to the top 50.
Led by that esteemed group, golf boasts the second most athletes (8) and second highest total earnings ($11.12 billion) in the top 50 behind only basketball, which remains buoyed by the dual pillars of Jordan and LeBron James.
