Professional sports means, among other things, large financial investments and no less high fees. Around every professional sport, there is a continuous cash flow, which includes salaries for players and coaches, and the purchase and maintenance of equipment, and the organization of matches, and transportation costs, and sponsorship investments, and much more. Annual costs for other sports are comparable to the budgets of countries! It goes without saying that some sports are paid higher than others, and based on this, a list of the most expensive sports in the world can be compiled.
10. Hockey
The tenth place on our list is occupied by hockey – a traumatic, spectacular sport where players, coaches, and those who own hockey clubs earn very good money. Russia and Canada have long been recognized as leaders in this sport; it is the players of these two countries that are the highest-paid.
So, athlete Alexander Ovechkin was the highest-paid hockey player in the NHL (National Hockey League) in 2017-2018, and he earns $ 10 million a year. The income of Evgeny Malkin, another hockey player from Russia, was estimated at $ 9 and a half million in 2018. Well, the most expensive hockey club in the world is the New York Rangers, its cost is $ 1.55 billion.
9. Basketball
The next sport on our list is basketball. The players’ salaries are calculated in millions. An impressive fee is paid to the players of the NBA – “National Basketball Association”. Its income is growing by leaps and bounds, and every 10th NBA player receives 18 million a year. LeBron James, a California player, made $ 765 million last year.
Of course, you should also take into account the equally serious income from advertising. Coca-Cola, Nike, Tissot – all these companies always do not mind contributing their money to the National Basketball Association, for their own benefit. And the most expensive basketball team in the NBA-2019, according to Forbes, is the New York Knicks, estimated at $ 4,000,000,000.
8. Tennis
Huge prize pools are the reason why tennis is on this list, and tennis players are at the top of the rankings of the world’s richest athletes. Serena Williams was the highest-paid athlete in 2018 – that year brought her over $ 18 million, Marina Sharapova, who took 5th place on that list – 10 and a half million.
Swiss athlete Roger Federer, the winner of the Grand Slam tournaments, earns $ 60 million each year from advertising alone and holds the record for the amount of money received from sponsors. And the prize pool for Wimbledon, as it was recently announced, in 2019 will be 38 million pounds.
7. Boxing
The seventh place in the TOP of the most expensive sports is occupied by boxing – spectacular, dangerous, and as a result – highly paid. Take, for example, the fight between American Floyd Mayweather and Filipino Manny Pacquiao (2015): a total of $ 400 million was earned in this fight, and the ticket price rose to $ 150,000!
The boxers themselves earned $ 150 million and $ 100 million, respectively, and Floyd Mayweather became the highest-paid boxer in history and still holds the title of the richest athlete in the world.
6. Golf
The next sport on the list of the most expensive is golf. It is a very fashionable sport, especially among the wealthy and influential people who are willing to invest serious sums of money to gain membership in a prestigious golf club. For example, Donald Trump has his own golf club; to get into it, you need to pay a fee – $ 350,000.
Golfers earn their millions in royalties not only from the game itself but also from advertising and sponsor payments. American golfer Tiger Woods became the first billionaire athlete in history in 2009, and it was advertising that brought him most of the money. Another important item of expenses is equipment, i.e. balls, clubs, etc., which are also sold for millions of dollars a year. Tourist golf tournaments are popular and generate a profit of $ 2,000,000,000 a year.
5. Football
Today’s football is not so much a game for the championship as a game for money, which is why it is in our rating. The main thing on which the income of football clubs depends is the sale of players. Also very important are the funds raised for the matches played, help from sponsors, advertising, TV broadcasts. All this is income.
The most expensive in Europe is the Spanish club “Real” – in 2019 its value was 3,224,000,000 euros, and the players of this club are among the highest paid in the world. For example, the famous striker Cristiano Ronaldo from 2009 to 2013 was the most expensive player in the history of football. Colossal fees are paid to coaches; for example, Pep Guardiola, the renowned Barcelona coach, received almost 15 million euros on his move to Bayern Munich!
4. Aviation sports
There is nothing to explain here: what are the costs of buying (or renting) an aircraft? And what about service that requires qualified technical personnel? And insurance, since air sports are among the most extreme? The technical equipment for aviation sports is no simpler than that of Formula 1, and savings are unacceptable because the pilot’s life depends on the quality of the aircraft.
The sports aircraft lineup currently includes 9 models. Depending on the manufacturer (the best planes are those that are made in Germany, France, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland), the plane will have to pay from 45,000 to 500,000 dollars.
3. Equestrian sport
We have come to the top three most expensive sports. The equestrian sport takes third place. A thoroughbred horse can cost more than one million dollars, their cost is comparable to the cost of the best and fastest racing cars. The record in this regard was set in 1983: a mare named Sharif Dancer was auctioned for $ 40,000,000! And of course, very important – and also costly – proper maintenance, care, nutrition, thanks to which the stallion will remain in excellent physical shape.
2. Sailing
The second place in our rating is occupied by yacht races. What is the cost of this sport? First, of course, is the acquisition of a yacht itself. Secondly, it’s content. The point here is inexpensive materials; sometimes for the construction of a sports vessel, parts are used that are used in the creation of space equipment! Thirdly, the design and creation of a sports yacht itself is delicate, serious, and painstaking work that requires special professionalism and effort.
The slightest mistake can cause a decrease in speed, and this, in turn, will cost the participant a prize-winning place. And, of course, the fees of athletes reaching millions of marks.
1. Formula 1
And, finally, the first place, the most expensive sport in the world, is the Formula 1 circuit car race. These car races appeared in the middle of the last century and since then they have not ceased to delight their many fans. Spectacular, risky, extremely popular, they require an annual infusion of billions of dollars – on the construction of race tracks, on cars, and, of course, on royalties for racers who put their lives and health on the line by going to the track.
On average, a driver’s salary can be 500,000 euros per year, the winner is entitled to 150,000,000 euros, and the last place – 40,000,000. Racetracks pay millions to spend a few days with Formula 1. The fortune of the notorious Michael Schumacher was estimated at 1,000,000,000 euros. The current champion, Lewis Hamilton, will receive $ 57 million this year.