Forbes reveals athletes earning staggering amounts in 2025

The latest athlete earnings report, compiled by Forbes, provides a comprehensive analysis of the top-earning athletes in 2025, focusing on their on-field and off-field incomes. The earnings were tracked between May 1, 2024, and May 1, 2025, incorporating salaries, bonuses, and various off-field ventures, such as sponsorship deals and appearance fees. This approach reveals a robust earning environment for athletes within major sports organizations, with the top 50 athletes showcasing staggering income growth compared to previous years. The methodology included insights from industry insiders and salary databases, ensuring accuracy in reported figures. For 2025, a notable aspect of the earnings report is the clear distinction in the financial opportunities available to male and female athletes, affirming a growing but still unequal playing field in sports. Despite significant increases in sponsorship and media engagement for women in sports, none of the top 50 highest earners include female athletes, reflecting the ongoing disparities in earnings between genders, partially driven by the revenue generated by male-dominated leagues compared to female leagues. The notable absence of women in the highest earnings brackets has raised discussions on how female athletes can achieve greater financial parity in the sport beyond prize money and salaries. Noteworthy athletes included in the report are Cristiano Ronaldo, who topped the list with an estimated income of $275 million, largely driven by his contract in Saudi Arabia and off-field interactions. Other athletes, including Stephen Curry and LeBron James, also made headlines with substantial earnings, showcasing the blend of on-field success and lucrative endorsements that sports can generate in today's market. The report illustrates a continued trend of athletes maximizing their brand value within and outside their respective sports through strategic partnerships and business acumen. The data signifies an increase in overall athlete earnings and underscores the growing intersection of sports and business, illustrating how athletes are leveraging their visibility and influence across various platforms. As more athletes become entrepreneurs and brand ambassadors, the earnings landscape will continue to evolve, emphasizing the potential for higher financial outcomes, providing clarity on the significant earning capacity of athletes across sports disciplines in the current economic environment.