The world has seen a significant number of wealthy people. Emerging from different and diverse walks of life, these individuals have been able to accumulate monumental amounts of money.
Today we are examining the noticeably wealthy population of athletes. Numerous individuals have utilized their impressive athletic talents to propel their careers to unthinkable heights.
With fortunes the size of some entire national economies, these are 10 of the wealthiest athletes of all time:
Vince McMahon (2.4 Billion)
At number one, we have the majority owner, CEO, and chairman of the world-renowned fan-favorite television show, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), earlier known as WWF. He began his road to success as a wrestler himself, gradually working his way up and eventually building his wrestling empire to the billion-dollar status it currently holds. His WWE company has continuously grown over the years as we have witnessed several iconic stars emerge from the sport.
Michael Jordan ($1.9 Billion)
The legendary Basketball superstar is a well-known basketball phenomenon that had a glorious career that was riddled with impressive accolades to compliment his abilities on the court. His illustrious career understandably attracted significant attention from large companies like Nike. His partnership with Nike to develop the iconic Air Jordan footwear proved to be arguably his most successful business venture during and after he hung up his boots. He as well owns an NBA franchise (the Charlotte Hornets). Jordan is one of only three athletes to make it to the athletic billionaires club.
Ion Tiriac ($1.1 Billion)
His Hall of Fame accolades in both Tennis and Olympic Ice Hockey highlight the admirable career Ion enjoyed. The success on rollerblades and the Tennis court, however, makes up just one-half of his accomplishments. The Romanian has as well enjoyed profound success through his businesses, Banca Tiriac and Tiriac Holdings.
Michael Schumacher ($800 million)
A highly decorated career that spanned a remarkable 15 years from 1991 to 2006 saw Schumacher enter into the history books as one of the most successful Formula 1 drivers that ever graced the F1 racing circuit. Serving as an icon to many, his legacy has clearly been translated to fortunes worth an estimated $800 million.
Tiger Woods ($800 million)
Joining Michael Schumacher on the $800 million mark, Tiger makes the list at number 5. Making an early start to his eventually illustrious golfing career, he secured significant lucrative endorsement deals with multi-billion dollar companies that saw him earn a heavy pay-day even when he is not necessarily teeing-off at a golf course.
Roger Staubach ($600 million)
The former Dallas Cowboys Quarterback was a winner of the famous Heisman trophy to add to his two super bowls won during his playing career. Staubach made some major business moves when he founded his Staubach company, which as per Wealthy Gorilla, was sold off in 2008 for an estimated value of $600 million.
Magic Johnson ($600 million)
Another NBA superstar joins Michael Jordan on our list. Magic Johnson was an entertaining superstar to watch as he overwhelmed his opponents on the court while as well as displaying his extraordinary skills and understanding of the game. His success on the court yielded 5 NBA championships and 3 MVP awards, with the LA Lakers, just to mention a few. His business ventures as well complemented magic’s wealth through his company, Magic Johnson Enterprises, and his part ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Junior Bridgeman ($600 million)
Despite having an impressive 12-year career, it is his distinguished business acumen that has profoundly made up for the most of his wealth. Junior Bridgeman showed aggressiveness in his ventures outside of his basketball career and subsequently now owns an estimated 160 Wendy’s outlets and an additional 118 Chili’s restaurants.
Tom Brady ($580 million)
The NFL has produced some amazing talents over the years. Tom Brady is arguably one of the most successful quarterbacks that the NFL has ever seen. Still active, Tom Brady has so far accumulated an astounding six championships through his glamorous career. A hefty figure of $580 million highlights the success of Tom Brady as an athlete together with his supermodel wife Gisele Bundchens.
Floyd Mayweather ($565 million)
Arguably one of the most successful boxers of his time, Floyd retired, having never lost a single bout in his career. He even came out of retirement in 2017 specifically to fight the Mixed Martial Arts superstar, Connor McGregor. This high grossing match-up made Mayweather an astronomical $275 million, which is pretty much 275 million incentives worth of reasons to come out of retirement for one more match. He as well got a handsome remuneration from his high-profile match-up against his Philippine compatriot, Manny Pacquiao.
Conclusion
These Athletes have shown that it is possible to make a good living by utilizing athletic talents and abilities. Their achievements have served and continue to serve as an inspiration to millions of aspiring athletes around the world that will grace the athletic fields for generations to come. They have as well shown their reliability when it comes to giving back to the community and helping the less fortunate in different communities.
The world of athletics is expanding across the world. With this consistently rising popularity in athletics, there is a lot of money to be made, and the above ten listed athletes have done the best financially out of all these athletes.
