Top 100 athletes earned a total of $3.8bn
With F1 driver Lewis Hamilton emerging as the top Briton at number 12 with a $51m payday, Forbes has today released the annual rankings of the world’s top 100 earning athletes.
Once again, retired boxer Floyd Mayweather topped the list after earning $275m for his fight against Conor McGregor last August. McGregor ($99m) sits fourth in the list, with footballers Lionel Messi ($111m) and Cristiano Ronaldo ($108m) second and third.
“Boxing’s biggest night of 2017 helped Mayweather and McGregor earn nearly $400m combined,” said Kurt Badenhausen, senior editor at Forbes Media, adding: “But basketball players dominate the top 100 overall thanks to a soaring salary cap triggered by the NBA’s $24bn TV contract.”
The top 100 athletes earned a total of $3.8bn, up 23 per cent from last year, according to Forbes.
However, not a single woman has been included in the list. Last year, Serena Williams was the only female athlete to make it the top 100.
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