The Highest Paid Athlete the Year You Were Born
The Highest Paid Athlete the Year You Were Born
When it comes to today's top athletes, some make hundreds of millions of dollars every year. But it wasn't always that way. Before Tiger Woods and Floyd Mayweather Jr. were clearing checks for $200 million (or more), pros from previous decades were making far less. Find out what the top-earning athlete made the year you were born.
1979: Rod Carew
First baseman Rod Carew won batting titles in 1977 and 1978, hitting .388 and .333, while playing for the Twins. He was traded in 1979 to the California Angels, who paid him a hefty $800,000, making him the highest-paid player in the MLB—and all other sports.
1980: Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan became another one of baseball's first million dollar players in 1980, when he joined the Houston Astros. This quadrupled the salary Ryan had been earning as a pitcher for the California Angels. In the years leading up to 1980, Ryan led the American League in strikeouts seven times, making him an extremely valuable player.
1981: Dave Winfield
In 1981, New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner made Dave Winfield the world's highest-paid player with a 10-year contract and an annual salary of $1.4 million.
1982: Mike Schmidt
The third baseman for the Phillies was the highest-paid player in 1982, earning a salary of $1.5 million. By this point, Mike Schmidt had already won two National League MVP titles and a World Series MVP title in 1980.
1983: Mike Schmidt
1983 was another good year for Schmidt: Not only did he earn $1.65 million, but he was also voted the greatest player in the history of the franchise by fans.
1984: Marvin Hagler
Boxer "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler broke the record for athlete who made the most money in 1984. He earned $3.3 million in total, primarily from winning fights against Mustafa Hamsho and Juan Roldán.
1985: Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. was the highest-earning athlete of 1985 with a salary of $2.5 million. This was also a significant year for the Los Angeles Lakers as a team: They defeated the Celtics for the first time in Laker history during the NBA Finals.
1986: Magic Johnson
Johnson continued his run as the highest-paid athlete in 1986, when he made another $2.5 million.
1987: Patrick Ewing
In 1987, Patrick Ewing dethroned Magic Johnson for the top spot. Shortly after being named the NBA Rookie of the Year, Ewing earned $2.75 million for his '87 season.
1988: Patrick Ewing
Ewing maintained his first place position once again in 1988. He made $3.25 million, just barely outpacing Magic Johnson (by their standards), who made $3,142,860 that year.
1989: Patrick Ewing
Ewing got the top spot again for a third year in a row in 1989. As a center for the New York Knicks, he made $3.75 million (which is about $7.7 million today).
1990: Mike Tyson
According to Forbes, Mike Tyson was the highest paid athlete of 1990, earning $28.6 million. Even though he unexpectedly lost a fight to Buster Douglas this year, he won matches against Henry Tillman and Alex Stewart.
1991: Evander Holyfield
In the early '90s, boxing was especially lucrative. The highest-earning athlete in 1991 was Evander Holyfield, who earned $60 million thanks to wins against George Foreman and Bert Cooper.
1992: Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan earned a cool $35.9 million in 1992. At this point, Jordan had already earned the MVP title twice, in 1988 and 1991. After the Bulls won the NBA finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, he was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player for a third time. He also competed in the Barcelona Olympics this year as part of the men's basketball team.
1993: Michael Jordan
In June 1993, Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to victory again, marking the first time since the '60s that a team had won three consecutive championship titles. He made $36 million between his salary and endorsements this year.
1994: Michael Jordan
In October 1993, Jordan announced that he was leaving the NBA. Then, in February 1994, he surprised everyone by signing a Minor League Baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox had the same owner as the Bulls, Jerry Reinsdorf, who continued to honor Jordan's basketball contract during the years he played baseball. This allowed him to remain the highest-paid athlete, earning around $30 million in 1994.
1995: Michael Jordan
Jordan returned to the NBA in 1995, issuing a two-word press release: "I'm back." According to Forbes, he picked up two new endorsement deals this year, earning him $40 million. Add that to his $3.9 million salary, and Jordan made the most money of any athlete once again.
1996: Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson took Jordan's place as the top-earning athlete in 1996, raking in $75 million. This year, he notably won the WBC and WBA titles after claiming victories against Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon.
1997: Michael Jordan
Jordan reclaimed his title once again in 1997. He made $31.3 million in salary/winnings for this year, plus an additional $47 million in endorsements. All in all, he made a total of $78.3 million for the year.
1998: Michael Jordan
In 1998, Jordan earned a total of $69 million. This year he also led the Bulls to yet another three-peat victory (winning three championship games in a row) and was voted the Finals MVP. Forbes reports that he's the highest-paid athlete of all time, with career earnings of $1.7 billion.
1999: Michael Schumacher
Race car driver Michael Schumacher is generally considered one of the best Formula One racers ever. In 1999, he became the first non-American to top the Forbes list of highest-paid athletes with a $49 million payday. In the years leading up to 1999, Schumacher had become the youngest two-time World Champion in Formula One history.
2000: Michael Schumacher
The German racing legend came out on top again in 2000, earning $59 million. This year, he won his third world championship and claimed victory at the Italian Grand Prix. According to Forbes, he's the fifth-highest-earning athlete ever.
2001: Tiger Woods
In 2001, Tiger Woods kicked off his long (and we mean long) streak of being the highest-paid athlete in the world: he made $63.7 million in 2001, primarily from endorsements.
2002: Tiger Woods
Coming off of a 2001 win at the Masters, Woods continued to make serious money again in 2002. This year, he clinched another victory at the Masters, as well as a win at the US open. According to Forbes, he made $69 million in 2002.
2003: Tiger Woods
Woods maintained his status in 2003, making $78 million, most of which came from endorsements with companies like Nike and Buick.
2004: Tiger Woods
In 2004, Woods stayed on top thanks in large part to a renewed endorsement deal with Buick worth $40 million. His overall earnings for the year just barely topped his 2003 earnings at $80.3 million.
2005: Tiger Woods
In 2005, Woods clinched yet another victory at the Masters tournament, which garnered him almost $1.3 million. Surprisingly, that accounted for very little of the golfer's wealth for the year: his total earnings for 2005 came to $87 million.
2006: Tiger Woods
Woods earned $90 million in 2006, according to Forbes. Coming off of his previous year's Masters win, Woods won two major championship titles and six other PGA Tour victories in 2006. This year he also signed a new six-year contract with EA Sports, the company behind his video game series
2007: Tiger Woods
Woods set a new record in 2007 by earning $100 million. According to Forbes, this was (at the time) the most an athlete had ever made in one year. The total stemmed from $13 million in prize money and $87 million from endorsements and appearance fees.
2008: Tiger Woods
For the eighth year in a row, Woods took home serious cash. In 2008, he banked $115 million. He clinched yet another Masters victory at Torrey Pines, debuted a line of specialty Gatorades with Pepsi, and signed a deal with AT&T. Not bad.
2009: Tiger Woods
Although his personal life came under intense scrutiny in November of this year, 2009 was still an impressive one for Woods. He earned $110 million and was named PGA Player of the Year for the 10th time.
2010: Tiger Woods
Woods lost a few sponsors (like Gatorade, AT&T, and Gillette) following the news of his infidelity, but he maintained his status as the highest-paid athlete once again in 2010 with $75 million in earnings. Several other sponsors dropped him, but Woods continued his relationship with Nike during this time.
2011: Tiger Woods
Woods' performance wasn't at a high point from 2010 to 2011, but he continued to out-earn every other athlete. In 2011, he made $75 million, largely from deals with Nike and Electronic Arts.
2012: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. was the first athlete to make more money than Woods after an 11 year run. According to Forbes, the boxer's victory against Miguel Cotto garnered him $45 million, bringing his total earnings for the year to $85 million.
2013: Tiger Woods
Woods reclaimed the top spot in 2013, after making $78.1 million. Most of it ($65 million) came from endorsement deals, while the remaining $13.1 million was from his salary and winnings.
2014: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Mayweather took back the top spot as the highest-earning athlete in 2014. He won two fights this year against Marcos Maidana and made $105 million, all of it from his actual salary (read: no endorsements).
2015: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The boxer was once again the most lucrative athlete of the year in 2015. He earned a $285 million salary and an additional $15 million in endorsements with companies like Burger King and FanDuel.
2016: Christiano Ronaldo
Christiano Ronaldo is widely considered one of the best soccer players in the league, with five Ballon d'Or awards and four European Golden Shoes accolades. It's no wonder he was the highest-paid athlete of 2016, with a salary of $56 million and $32 million in endorsement deals.
2017: Christiano Ronaldo
The captain of the Portugal national team also came out on top in 2017, raking in a total of $93 million. A majority ($53 million) came from Ronaldo's salary, with the remaining $35 million coming from endorsement deals with companies like Nike and Toyota.
2018: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Practically everyone tuned into the 2018 fight between Mayweather and Conor McGregor. Mayweather was paid handsomely: he made $275 million in 2018, with $10 million in endorsement deals to boot, according to Forbes.
2019: Lionel Messi
The Argentinean soccer player is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time. In 2019, he's already made a whopping $127 million, according to Forbes. Most of it ($92 million) was from his salary and winnings, while $35 million is from endorsement deals. We'll have to wait and see if any athlete can top these numbers.
Boxers, golfers, and NBA players have all made it to the top of the list at some point.
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