Usain Bolt's ten million dollars Usain Bolt's annual compensation with his biggest endorsement partner, Puma, Bolt initially joined with the sportswear firm Puma as a teenager, and his current arrangement pays him $10 million per year. While it may seem like a lot of money, it's actually less than what many other athletes earn in a year.
When you consider that most top-level athletes spend much of their time away from competition (either training or sitting on the bench for a team), it's not surprising that they don't often make a whole lot of money. However, some are able to find lucrative sponsorship deals after they retire from sports, such as Michael Jordan who made over $80 million between 1992 and 2016 through advertising contracts with Nike and Gatorade.
However, most top athletes do not get this kind of opportunity later in life. Instead, they tend to rely mainly on their reputation and appearance fees for income. Reputation fees are given to athletes who are still active but not competing directly against one another like in a race. For example, NBA players can make up to $50,000 per appearance in promotional events like commercials or interviews. Appearances also include work with sponsors who don't have full-time athletes of their own (such as McDonald's which uses NBA players in advertising campaigns).
The Richest Track and Field Athletes of All Time
Usain Bolt's bio
Personal information | |
---|---|
Coached by | Glen Mills |
Retired | 2017 |
Achievements and titles | |
Personal best(s) | 40 yd: 4.22 (Atlanta, 2019) 100 m: 9.58 WR (Berlin 2009) 150 m straight: 14.35 WB (Manchester 2009) 200 m: 19.19 WR (Berlin 2009) 300 m: 30.97 NR (Ostrava 2010) 400 m: 45.28 (Kingston 2007) 800 m: 2:07 h (Kingston 2016) |
Tim Cahill rises through the ranks of Australia's sports rich list because to a hefty Shanghai contract.
Usain Bolt's bio Usain Bolt, the world's wealthiest runner, is an outstanding athlete. The sprinter has world records in the men's 100-meter, 200-meter, and 4x100-meter relay events. His time of 9.58 seconds in the 100-meter dash is the current world record. Bolt also holds the former world records in the 200-meter (20.16 seconds) and 4x100-meter relay (37.10 seconds). He has been ranked by Forbes as the best overall athlete of all time.
Bolt was born on August 5, 1986, in Trelawny, Jamaica. He started running when he was six years old and attended the Greenway School and Montpelier High School in Kingston, Jamaica. At age 17, Bolt moved to Florida to train with coaches Patrick Babcock and Peter King at the University of Central Florida. While there, he set school records in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4 x 100 meter relay. After one season, he transferred to Centennial High School in Atlanta where he became team captain his last year. During this time, he trained with coaches Gail Marley and Lornah Kiplinger.
Michael Phelps has a net worth of $80 million. (It's hard to estimate how much money he has, since he earns such a large percentage of his income from advertising.) He won a total of eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics. He's considered by many to be one of the greatest swimmers in history.
Phelps's estimated net worth would place him at number seven on our list of the top ten richest Olympic athletes. (Larry Bird is ranked first with an estimated net worth of $80 million.)
Olympic athletes tend to have higher-than-average incomes because they make their money through sponsorship deals, appearance fees, and sales of autographs and photos. Some athletes earn more than others; some earn even more after retiring from competition.
A few examples: American basketball player Larry Bird made about $90 million during his career as a point guard for the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers. After retirement, he had an even larger impact on the NBA draft, helping bring in future stars like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Nike Athlete Endorsements: The Top 5
List of all-time (2017)
Rank | Name | Earnings Million $ |
---|---|---|
1 | Michael Jordan | 1,850 |
2 | Tiger Woods | 1,700 |
3 | Arnold Palmer | 1,400 |
4 | Jack Nicklaus | 1,200 |