Forbes: The highest paid athletes in the world – Naomi Osaka at the top again
By Brett Knight
The world of women’s sports has many things to worry about: inequality in pay and access to facilities, “poor” employment conditions, lack of media coverage, and even ill-treatment. The leagues acquire new “owners” and expand their teams. Viewership is growing, and TV networks are offering “roof” in more games, sponsors’ funds are finally arriving, and start-ups are attracting investors.
This development is also evident in the athletes’ salaries. The ten highest paid athletes in the world earned in 2021 the total amount of 1067 million dollars before taxes, according to Forbes estimates, an amount increased by 23% compared to 2020 and 16% higher than the previous record amount of 143 , $ 3 million in 2013. At the top of this year’s list is tennis star Naomi Osaka, who earned $ 57.3 million, a record amount for a female athlete. In second place is Serena Williams with $ 45.9 million.
The picture, however, is not entirely rosy: Osaka and Williams are “almost entirely” responsible for the increase in the overall earnings of the top 10 athletes, as no other participant on the list has the slightest hope of claiming a place among In the Forbes 2021 list of athletes collected by May, Osaka was ranked 12th and Williams 28th; the third highest paid woman in the current list. , Venus Williams, did not reach the limit to enter the list of the 50 highest paid athletes for more than 20 million dollars).
In addition, it is worth noting that the threshold for the top ten list of the highest paid athletes this year is actually a little lower than it was a decade ago – it is at $ 5.7 million, compared to 6.1 million euros in 2012.
The “initiates”, however, new chapters and new sponsors are entering the women’s sport; ($ 10.1 million) and a basketball player (Candace Parker, No. 10 to $ 5.7 million) are among the highest paid athletes on the planet.
And although tennis still occupies five of the ten places on the list, in this year’s list the sport has the smallest presence in more than 10 years, while the picture is dramatically different compared to 2019 when all ten places were occupied by tennis players. The presence of Parker – along with American football stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, who marginally did not enter the top 10 – is a particularly encouraging development as it represents a team sport where the rewards are significantly lower compared to the cash prizes offered. individual sports.
“Today is very different,” says recently retired football legend Carli Lloyd, who joined the U.S. national team in 2005 alongside other athletes who competed for basic earnings, such as guaranteed pay and health benefits. “Whether it’s due to a post (on social media) made by a player to get paid or because she signs sponsorship deals, it’s a positive development and obviously due to all the players who have gone before.”
The top 10 of the highest paid athletes of 2021
No. 1 Naomi Osaka
Tennis – Age: 24 – Japan
Total revenue: $ 57.3 million
On-field revenue: $ 2.3 million
Off-field revenue: $ 55 million
No. 2 Serena Williams
Tennis – Age: 40 – USA
Total revenue: $ 45.9 million
On-field revenue: $ 0.9 million
Off-field revenue: $ 45 million
Ο. 3 Venus Williams
Tennis – Age: 41 – USA
Total revenue: $ 11.3 million
On-field revenue: $ 0.3 million
Off-field revenue: $ 11 million
No. 4 Simone Biles
Rhythmic gymnastics – Age: 24 – USA
Total revenue: $ 10.1 million
In-house revenue: $ 0.1 million
Off-field revenue: $ 10 million
Ο. 5 Garbiñe Muguruza
Tennis – Age: 28 – Spain
Total revenue: $ 8.8 million
On-field revenue: $ 2.8 million
Off-field revenue: $ 6 million
Νο. 6 Jin Young Ko
Golf – Age: 26 – South Korea
Total revenue: $ 7.5 million
On-field revenue: $ 3.5 million
Off-field revenue: $ 4 million
No. 7 PV Sindhu
Badminton – Age: 26 – India
Total revenue: $ 7.2 million
On-field revenue: $ 0.2 million
Off-field revenue: $ 7 million
No. 8 Ashleigh Barty
Tennis – Age: 25 – Australia
Total revenue: $ 6.9 million
On-field revenue: $ 3.9 million
Off-field revenue: $ 3 million
No. 9 Nelly Korda
Golf – Age: 23 – USA
Total revenue: $ 5.9 million
On-field revenue: $ 2.4 million
Off-field revenue: $ 3.5 million
No. 10 Candace Parker
Basketball – Age: 35 – USA
Total revenue: $ 5.7 million
On-field revenue: $ 0.2 million
Off-field revenue: $ 5.5 million
Methodology
The Forbes ranking of the highest paid female athletes reflects their earnings on the court from 2021, including basic rewards, bonuses, scholarships and cash prizes. Their off-field profits were calculated based on conversations with industry executives and correspond to the annual earnings from sponsorships, licenses, appearances and souvenirs, as well as from companies run by the athletes themselves. Forbes does not include investment income, such as interest or dividends, but calculates earnings from stock sales. Finally, the amounts are tax-free and do not include commissions for an agent.
Source: Forbes
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