![]() ![]() M ore than 400 stores sell Arnold Palmer-branded apparel in Asia, with plans to move into new markets like Thailand and Vietnam. Palmer died in September 2016, but his estate still banked $40 million during the last 12 months. The top 25 have earned a cumulative $19.4 billion since turning pro ($15.9 billion without adjusting for inflation).įrom branding it like Beckham to the Golden Bear’s Midas touch, these sports legends are so money when it comes to career earnings and endorsement deals. The 25 highest-paid athletes of all time played a mix of eight sports, with golf, basketball and boxing landing five entries each. We do not include investment income, and we back-filled years where we did not publish earnings figures, such as prior to 1990 for Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Earnings cover from the time the athletes turned pro through June 1, 2017, and include money earned after playing careers were over, as well as earnings by the estate in the case of Arnold Palmer. His earnings are off 68% from their peak but still rank among the highest in golf.įorbes' earnings estimates include salaries, bonuses, prize money, endorsements and licensing, as well as fees from books, golf course designsand appearances. The image of Woods as the perfect pitchman came crashing down on a Thanksgiving night eight years ago, but he remains the top draw in golf when healthy. Woods banked $600 million (adjusted for inflation) between 20, with endorsements and appearance fees fueling most of the earnings. Like Jordan, Woods reached the pinnacle of his sportwhile shying away from any controversy, making him a marketing darling for sponsors like Accenture, American Express, EA Sports, General Motors and Nike. Jordan showed the path to a fortune built on endorsement earnings that has since been followed by Tiger Woods, who ranks second at $1.7 billion. Jordan's estimated cut of the business is $140 million this year. The Jordan Brand exploded for Nike and is now a $3.1 billion global business with revenue up 13% over last year and $800 million from two years ago. His biggest backer has always been Nike, which signed Jordan ahead of his rookie year to a five-year deal worth $2.5 million, plus royalties. Jordan has partnered with dozens of brands since he turned pro in 1984, including Gatorade, Hanes, MCI, Oakley, Upper Deck, Wheaties and more. The result: Jordan is the highest-paid athlete of all time at $1.85 billion in 2017 dollars (the tally is $1.5 billion in current dollars). Yet Jordan elevated athlete endorsements to an entirely new level, which has continued long after he hung up his high-tops for good in 2003. Sure, he made more than $4 million during only two of his 15 seasonsin the NBA (Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf also paid Jordan his $4 million salary during the full season he took off to play baseball).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |