However, for some of the greatest sports athletes in the world, winning on the court also equates to their victories off the court.
Endorsement deals have mostly been described as the ultimate side-hustle, with some bringing in tens of millions of dollars a year and even deriving more than half of their revenue from corporate sponsorships.
These endorsements can sometimes range from sneaker collaborations to streaming subscriptions, as well as others.
Pulse Sports Nigeria reveals some of the hottest sports stars on the planet who signed the biggest deals with global brands in 2022 according to gobankingrates.com.
#10 Serena Williams
Endorsements/Gains off the pitch: $45,000,000
Earnings in the field: $300,000
Total winnings: $45,300,000
% of total revenue from endorsements: 99.34%
Position on the Forbes Highest-Paid Athletes List: 31
Tennis legend Serena Williams has announced her move away from professional tennis and played what was to be her final match at the 2022 US Open.
The 41-year-old American is said to earn more from endorsements than any other athlete on this list.
His top deals are with AbbVie, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Audemars Piguet, Block Inc, DIRECTV, Inc., Ford Motor, Gatorade, Gucci, Hanesbrands, Nike, Subway, Tonal, and Wilson Sporting Goods.
#9 Naomi Osaka
Endorsements/Gains off the pitch: $58,000,000
Earnings in the field: $1,200,000
Total winnings: $59,200,000
% of total revenue from endorsements: 97.97%
Position on the Forbes Highest-Paid Athletes List: 19
Former World No.1 Naomi Osaka reportedly earned around $1.2 million off the pitch.
The 25-year-old Japanese has landed some good deals including Airbnb, Beats Electronics, BodyArmor, GoDaddy, Hyperice, Levi Strauss & Co, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Mastercard, Morinaga & Company, Nike, Nissan Motor, Panasonic, Sweetgreen, Tag Heuer , Workday, Wowow Inc and Yonex.
#8 Tiger Woods
Endorsements/Gains out of course: $67,060,000
Earnings on the course: $40,000
Total winnings: $68,000,000
% of total revenue from endorsements: 98.62%
Position on the Forbes Highest-Paid Athletes List: 14
The world’s greatest golfer, Tiger Woods, has earned less on the course in 2022 after recovering from a horrific injury.
However, he still remains one of the highest paid athletes in the world thanks to contracts with 2K Sports, Bridgestone, Centinel Spine, Full Swing, Hero Motocorp, Kowa Company Ltd., Monster Energy, Nike, Rolex, TaylorMade and Upper Deck. .
#7Tom Brady
Sport Team: NFL/Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Endorsements/Off-field income: $52,000,000
Earnings in the field: $31,900,000
Total winnings: $83,900,000
% of total revenue from endorsements: 61.98%
Position on Forbes Highest-Paid Athletes Listing: 9
NFL legend Tom Brady has been widely considered the greatest quarterback in sports history.
At 45, Brady still earns tens of millions of dollars from deals with brands like Christopher Cloos, Electronic Arts, Fanatics, Hertz Global Holdings, IWC Schaffhausen, Subway, T-Mobile, Under Armor and Wheels Up.
#6 Roger Federer
Endorsements/Gains off the pitch: $90,000,000
Earnings in the field: $700,000
Total winnings: $90,700,000
% of total revenue from endorsements: 99.23%
Position on the Forbes Highest-Paid Athletes List: seven
Swiss great Roger Federer retired from professional tennis in iconic fashion in September, following the Laver Cup.
However, he is still atop the endorsement deal throne with $90 million in contracts with Barilla, Credit Suisse Group (ADS), JURA, Lindt & Sprungli, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Mercedes-Benz, NetJets , On, RIMOWA, Rolex, Sunrise Communications AG, Switzerland Tourism, Uniqlo and Wilson Sporting Goods.
In fact, only Serena Williams earned a higher percentage of her income from corporate contracts than the 41-year-old maestro.
#5 Kevin Durant
Sport Team: Basketball nets/Brooklyn
Endorsements/Gains off the field: $50,000,000
Earnings in the field: $42,100,000
Total winnings: $92,100,000
% of total revenue from endorsements: 54.29%
The superstar striker popularly known as KD derives more than half of his combined income from deals with 2K Sports, Coinbase, Dapper Labs, Nike and Weedmaps.
#4 Steph Curry
Sport Team: Basketball/Golden State Warriors
Endorsements/Gains off the field: $47,000,000
Earnings in the field: $45,800,000
Total winnings: $92,800,000
% of total revenue from endorsements: 50.65%
Position on the Forbes Highest-Paid Athletes List: 5
The salary of the NBA’s greatest shooter, Steph Curry, is high enough to represent almost half of his income.
However, the 34-year-old superstar point guard is also earning big deals with 2K Sports, Callaway Golf, CarMax, FTX, Google, Panini, Rakuten and Under Armour.
#3Cristiano Ronaldo
Endorsements/Off-field income: $55,000,000
Earnings in the field: $60,000,000
Total winnings: $115,000,000
% of total revenue from endorsements: 47.83%
Position on the Forbes Highest-Paid Athletes List: 3
The most influential football player on the planet, Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo has had one hell of a rocky spell in 2022 at the twilight of his glittering career with controversies mostly overshadowing his impressive stats for most of the year.
However, his sponsors still stuck with him as he continued to rake in millions from deals with brands including Delivery Hero, Herbalife, MTG, Nike, Unilever, and Binance.
#2 LeBron James
Sport Team: Basketball/Los Angeles Lakers
Endorsements/Gains off the field: $80,000,000
Earnings in the field: $41,200,000
Total winnings: $121,200,000
% of total revenue from endorsements: 66%
Position on the Forbes Highest-Paid Athletes List: 2
Only Lionel Messi has earned more combined income than NBA icon King James in 2022. He also achieved ‘billionaire athlete’ status in 2022.
LeBron makes two out of three dollars from deals with Nike, 2K Sports, AT&T, Beats Electronics, Blaze Pizza, Calm, Crypto.com, GMC, PepsiCo, RIMOWA and Walmart.
#1 Lionel Messi
Sport Team: Football/Paris Saint-Germain FC
Endorsements/Off-field income: $55,000,000
Win on the fields: $75,000,000
Total winnings: $130,000,000
% of total revenue from endorsements: 42.31%
Place on Forbes Highest-Paid Athletes List: 1
When it comes to endorsement deals in 2022 when it comes to sports athletes on the planet, Lionel Messi has earned more than any other athlete in the world across all sports this year.
The 35-year-old Argentinian maestro has earned over 40% of his income through sponsorship deals with Adidas, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Cirque du Soleil, Gatorade, Hard Rock Cafe Inc., Konami, Mastercard, Ooredoo, Pepsi, PepsiCo , Socios.com and YPF. ‘
Comments are closed.