5. Drew Brees – Football Player
The New Orleans Saints give Brees a $40 million dollar a year salary and his endorsements give him $11 million dollars which brings his total amount per year to somewhere in the neighborhood of $51 million dollars a year to play football. He has had a Super Bowl title and six Pro Bowl selections. His endorsements are perhaps the most impressive within the NFL because they include Procter & Gamble, Pepsi, Verizon, Wrangler and Nike. He also has the Brees’ Dream foundation to which he has personally given $17 million to charitable causes in New Orleans, West Lafayette/Perdue communities, as well as some academic institutions.
4. LeBron James – Basketball Player
He won his first NBA title, a second Olympic Gold, and his third league MVP Award in 2012. He is part of the NBA Hall of Fame after winning the fourth MVP Award after the 2012-13 seasons. All of which has earned him a total yearly income of $59.8 million from his salary and various endorsements, which is mostly his Nike shoes. He was able to outsell other NBA competitors. No wonder he is dubbed King James.
3. Kobe Bryant - Basketball Player
He has one of the highest paying salaries in the NBA and earning him almost $61.9 million a year. He has been part of the All-NBA for many consecutive years and is on the all time NBA scoring list bypassing one other player known as Wilt Chamberlain. His endorsements include Mercedes-Benz, Panini, Nike, Leveno, and Coca-Cola.
2. Roger Federer – Tennis Player
Federer has ten sponsors that pay him over $40 million yearly and contribute to his $71.5 million dollar yearly income. His sponsors include Nike, Wilson, Rolex, and Credit Suisse, as well as Moet & Chandon. He has the most tennis records for singles Grand Slam wins and the most career prize money earned which comes in at a total of $77 million dollars. That is a lot of prize money earned
1. Tiger Woods – Golfer
It should not come as a surprise to anyone that Tiger Woods is in the number one spot. He earns $78.1 million dollars a year and many tournament wins. His prize money has grown, as has his endorsements. He has been number one on the World Golf Rankings and can make more than $10 million dollars just for putting in appearances. He earns a $13.1 million dollar salary. His endorsements are what put him at the top of the list at $65 million dollars worth per year.
What would you do if you could be playing a game that you love and making millions per year to do it? It is all a part of the game and along with these major dollars per year; you have your name in lights. The world knows your name and everyone knows your story whether you want them to or not. However, I don’t think it is such a bad trade off. Loving your job is important so that you wake up and want to go to work everyday. What better way to make a living than to play the games that you love to play. It is apparently the key to a successful bank account and it adds you to the top 5 highest paid athletes in 2014 list.