The world's top paid athletes, according to Forbes


As has become tradition, every year business magazine Forbes releases it’s list of highest paid athletes. Some of the names on the list have been around for a while, and probably won’t go anywhere any time soon. Others may be new, as their stock as an athlete grows around the world.
Forbes’ full list includes 100 athletes from around the world. According to the site, they come from 21 different countries and play 11 different sports. They are soccer players, tennis stars, NBA legends and golfing’s greatest. Most of the men and women on the list are Americans (63 of them to be exact), and basketball players are the biggest group on the list with 32 players. According to the site, these athletes made $3.11 billion dollars combined, and nearly 30% of their earnings came from appearances and endorsement deals (not bad).



While Forbes has the full list, we’re compiled the top 40 for you. Most of the names on this list shouldn’t really surprise you. It’s the world’s top athletes, who star in numerous commercials and may earn thousands just for showing up somewhere. Others, such as the Portland Trail Blazers Damian Lillard or the Toronto Raptors Demar DeRozan, may be a bit more surprising to find as high up on this list as they are.
One thing especially surprised us, and even disappointed us. Even in 2017, not a single female athlete was able to crack the top 50. The highest woman on this list is none other than tennis legend Serena Williams, and she comes in at no. 51. So there is still a glass ceiling of sorts to smash in the years to come.
But without further ado, here they are, Forbes’ top 40 paid athletes of 2017 (the ranking and information presented come from Forbes’ list):
[post_page_title]Andy Murray[/post_page_title]
This list kicks off the no. 40 on Forbes’ list, Andy Murray. Murray earned $28.8 million this past year, half of it from winnings and half from endorsements. Over the years, he’s earned $60 million from winnings, which is fourth all-time. The British tennis star has endorsement partnerships with Standard Life, Rado and Under Armour and recently inked a deal with Jaguar. He has also invested in startups and owns a stake in Seedrs.
andy murray

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