Any professional sport requires large financial investments. Each type is surrounded by a constant cash flow consisting of sponsorship investments, fees for athletes and coaches, purchase and maintenance of equipment, travel expenses, finances for the organization of competitions and championships, maintenance of training grounds and junior sports schools. And for all these indicators, both collectively and individually, there are leaders. The costs of the most expensive sports in just one year could make up the budget of an entire country.
10. Hockey
Hockey opens a list of the most expensive sports. A spectacular sport beloved by millions, it brings significant revenue to players, coaches and club owners. Two leaders have long been determined in this game: Russia and Canada, and it is the athletes of these countries who earn the most from games. Shi Weber received $ 14 million last season. In addition to him, in the top ten hockey players with large fees there are 4 more Canadians with incomes above $ 10 million. Two Russian athletes Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, playing in American teams, earned $ 10 million. The most expensive club is the New York Rangers. Its cost is $ 1.2 billion.
9. Basketball
Basketball It is also an expensive sport, Forbes magazine says, and as evidence it cites ten NBA athletes whose annual income exceeded $ 27 million. LeBron James, California player, not losing ground. Over the past year, he replenished his bank account with $ 71 million. And this is only the net salary of basketball players excluding the income from numerous advertising transactions, mainly with manufacturers of sportswear and equipment. Companies such as Coca-Cola, Tissot, Nike strive to invest in NBA teams and improve their prospects.
The most expensive team for several seasons remains the Lakers, which costs $ 3 billion. A significant indicator is the fact that last year 30 teams increased their value, breaking the threshold of 1 billion. Compared to 2013, there were only 3 such teams.
8. Tennis
Tennis brought to the top ten most expensive sports its fabulous prize pools. They also raised tennis players to first places in the ranking of the richest athletes. Over the past year, two world celebrities Serena Uilliams and Maria Sharapova earned $ 29 and $ 22 million, respectively. Moreover, they received 20 million each not for prizes, but from other commercial sources. The winner of the Grand Slam tournaments Roger Federer has secured such popularity that now he receives $ 60 million a year from advertising alone. Wimboldon’s prize pool is growing year by year. This season, it will be about $ 40 million. Singles winners will receive $ 2.8 million each.
7. Boxing
Boxing He earned the seventh step with his huge prize pools. The fact that boxing brings fabulous money can be judged even by one duel between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, which took place in May 2015. The total revenue from the event amounted to $ 400 million. For the sight of people are willing to pay a lot of money. So the price of tickets for this fight reached 150 thousand. Floyd and Pacquiao received huge fees of $ 150 and $ 100 million, respectively. Mayweather is recognized by Forbes magazine as the richest athlete in the world.
6. Golf
Golf ranks in the ranking thanks to the famous Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, one of the ten most expensive athletes in the world with annual revenues of $ 50.6 and $ 50.8 million per year, respectively. Their income consists not only of prize money, but also from sponsorship payments and active advertising contracts. Golf is a very fashionable sport among businessmen and show business stars who are willing to pay impressive amounts for membership fees to golf clubs and spend millions on equipment. So in order to play in the Donald Trump club, you need to pay an entry fee of 350 thousand. Only for a year in the world was sold outfit goods (clubs, balls, etc.) worth $ 9 billion. Golf courses have long been part of the tourism business, raising $ 2 billion a year for golf tournaments.
5. Football
Football ceased to be a championship game, but became a game for money, which led to its fifth place in the ranking. Selling players is a determining factor affecting club profitability. A significant share in the revenue structure is made up of money received from matches, sponsorship, advertising contracts, and income from television broadcasts. The above sources put the Spanish football club Real in the leaders in annual profitability. So in 2015, the Spaniards earned 577 million €. For 12 years, Real Madrid has not lost ground and has made its players the highest paid in the world. The club striker earned Cristiano Ronaldo last year € 67 million. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) broke ahead with his 74 million € and became the most expensive football player in the world. Fabulous coaches' fees bring football to the most expensive sport. So, in order to lure to himself the coach of “Barcelona” Pep Guardiola, the Munich club “Bavaria” signed a contract with him for 14.8 million. And this is only for one season.
4. Airport
Airport includes 9 varieties by type of flying device. In terms of technical characteristics, it is on a par with Formula 1. This is not a cheap pleasure because of the high-tech equipment. The main expenses are for the rental or purchase of aircraft, insurance and the provision of necessary infrastructure. Large investments made aviation sport one of the most expensive.
3. Equestrian
The three most expensive sports opensHorseback Riding. The cost of a thoroughbred horse is millions of dollars. The most expensive horse in the history of horse racing is Sharif Dancer, which in 1983 was sold at auction for a record amount of $ 40 million. As you can see, the most expensive racing stallions can outperform the best and fastest sports supercars. In addition to the costs of a thoroughbred horse, a lot of money is spent on its maintenance and physical training, which the trainer is engaged in.
2. Sailing
Sailing ranks second among the most expensive sports in the world. Incredible expenses are made for the acquisition of the yacht and its maintenance. The high cost of a sports marine vessel is due to the materials from which it is made. For manufacturing, components are often used that are used to build modern space equipment and devices. The creation and development of sports ships takes a lot of time and effort. Creating drawings for future designs is painstaking work requiring high precision. The slightest error can lead to a decrease in the speed of the sailboat, which will be fatal for the participants of the race. The fees of professional yachtsmen are millions of dollars.
1. Formula 1
Formula 1 - the most expensive sport in the world. Billions of dollars are spent annually on the construction of racing tracks, the production and maintenance of cars, salaries for riders, etc. Pilots of automobiles receive fabulous fees for their enchanting performances and it is not surprising, because they put their health and life at stake. The average salary of a rider is about 500 thousand euros per year. Formula 1 racing began to function from the middle of the last century and remains the most popular and spectacular to date.