Culture
The Highest Earning Athletes in Seven Professional Sports
See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.
The Highest Earning Athletes in Seven Professional Sports
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on Apple or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
How much money do the world’s biggest athletes really make? And how do they compare across different sports?
We visualized the highest earning athletes in various professional sports, according to calculations from Forbes. Earnings reported here cover the period of May 2022 to May 2023. Earnings includes on-field (salary, bonuses, prize money) and off-field (endorsements, licensing, etc).
Forbes’ research included talking to industry insiders, following news reports, and parsing salary databases. Please see their methodology page for further details.
Who is the Highest Paid Athlete in the World?
Cristiano Ronaldo was the highest-paid athlete in the world, making an estimated $136 million between May 2022 and May 2023. His move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr set a record for the biggest contract in the sport at the time.
Here’s how he compared to the top earners in some other sports.
| Athlete | Sport | Total Earnings (May 2022–23) |
|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | ⚽ Soccer | $136M |
| LeBron James | 🏀 Basketball | $120M |
| Canelo Alvarez | 🥊 Boxing | $110M |
| Dustin Johnson | ⛳ Golf | $107M |
| Roger Federer | 🎾 Tennis | $95M |
| Russell Wilson | 🏈 American Football | $85M |
| Lewis Hamilton | 🏎️ Formula 1 | $65M |
Note: Figures are rounded.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James made the most money in basketball (just under $120 million), which is almost twice as much as Formula 1’s top earner, Lewis Hamilton, who took home about $65 million in 2022–23.
Something else to note is how off-court earnings can contribute significantly to total income for some athletes.
| Athlete | Sport | On-Field Earnings | Off-Field Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | ⚽ Soccer | $46M | $90M |
| LeBron James | 🏀 Basketball | $45M | $75M |
| Canelo Alvarez | 🥊 Boxing | $100M | $10M |
| Dustin Johnson | ⛳ Golf | $102M | $5M |
| Roger Federer | 🎾 Tennis | $0.1M | $95M |
| Russell Wilson | 🏈 American Football | $72M | $13M |
| Lewis Hamilton | 🏎️ Formula 1 | $55M | $10M |
Note: Figures are rounded.
This is most apparent with Roger Federer, who retired in 2022, after playing his last Laver Cup. However, his massive deals with Uniqlo, Rolex, and Mercedes, as well as his stake in running company On, still keeps him towards the top of the these lists.
Together with Ronaldo and James, these three athletes are widely considered the face of their sport, undoubtedly helping them secure lucrative endorsements and business deals.
Business
Charted: How the Logos of Select Fashion Brands Have Evolved
For some fashion brands, changing logos mirror the constant loop of reinvention, over decades of building products, markets, and consumer bases.
Charted: How the Logos of Select Fashion Brands Have Evolved
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
A global fashion brand needs to balance maintaining a consistent style built painstakingly over the years while adapting to current trends. And for some of them, their changing logos reflect the loop of reinvention, over decades of building products, markets, and consumer bases.
We illustrate the evolution of six fashion companies’ logos over time. Data for the visualization and article is sourced from 1000logos.net.
Nike & Adidas: A Tale of Two Shoe Companies
The world’s largest footwear company, Nike began its journey as Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964. In 1971, they rebranded as Nike, inspired by the Greek goddess of victory.
The famous swoosh logo was designed in 1971 by Carolyn Davidson, at the time a Portland State University graphic design student. She was paid $35 dollars for her work (about $270 today). Twelve years later, Nike co-founder Phil Knight have her 500 Nike shares that have remained unsold.
Here’s how often some of the world’s biggest fashion brands have changed their logos since founding.
| Brand | Logo Changes |
|---|---|
| 👟 Adidas | 10 |
| 👖 Levi's | 8 |
| ✔️ Nike | 4 |
| 👕 Gap | 4 |
| 🐊 Lacoste | 3 |
| 👗 Zara | 3 |
Meanwhile, Adidas has far older origins: all the way back to 1920 Germany. Founded by Adolf Dassler, the company split into Adidas and Puma in 1947.
Dassler bought the iconic three stripes from another German sports company in 1947. In 1952, the stripes debuted on Adidas footwear at the Summer Olympics.
Currently, Adidas has several concurrent logos depending on the product line. This includes: the horizontal across a trefoil (Adidas Originals), curved across a circle (Adidas Style) or the diagonal mountain above the brand name (Adidas Performance).
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