On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams talk with Sportico reporter Kurt Badenhausen about his recent list of the highest-paid athletes of all time.
The list highlights the variety of ways in which athletes accumulate wealth, including high annual salaries, big endorsement deals and equity deals with companies that want to utilize their fame and platform. Michael Jordan tops the list at $2.62 billion, largely due to his extremely lucrative long-term relationship with Nike. He’s followed by three golfers of different eras—Tiger Woods ($2.1 billion), Arnold Palmer ($1.5 billion) and Jack Nicklaus ($1.38 billion).
Badenhausen discusses what makes golf so lucrative, including the length of the playing career and the post-playing commercial opportunities like course design. He also shares why he thinks NBA players will gradually start to saturate the list over time.
Badenhausen talks about the growing opportunities for female athletes. Serena Williams is the only woman in the Top 40 (she didn’t make the Top 25), but there’s a young female tennis star who is rapidly moving up the list.
Lastly, the trio discusses the latest controversy surrounding Aaron Rodgers and his vaccine stance. One of the NFL’s highest-profile stars and highest-paid pitchmen, Rodgers has already lost one partnership over his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, State Farm appears to have dialed back its use of ads featuring Rodgers during this past weekend’s NFL games.
(You can subscribe to Sporticast through Apple, Google, Spotify or wherever else you get your podcasts.)
