Professional sports are a multi-billion dollar business. There is a constant flow of cash within every professional sport, including athletes and coaches salaries, new equipment acquisition, match planning, logistics, sponsorship investments, and much more. The annual costs of some sports can be as high as the budgets of medium-sized countries. It goes without saying that some sports require more than others, and based on these measurements, we have compiled a list of the most expensive sports in the world!
1. Tennis
Huge monetary rewards are the reason tennis is on this list, and tennis players are at the top of the rankings of the richest athletes in the world. Serena Williams was the highest paid athlete in 2018. That year she made more than $ 18 million. And Maria Sharapova, who ranked fifth on that list, earned $ 10.5 million. But the record pay belongs to Swiss athlete Roger Federer, winner of Grand Slam tournaments, who made $ 60 million a year just from advertising.
2. Boxing
Spectacular, dangerous, and therefore very lucrative. Take, for example, Floyd Mayweather’s fight against Manny Pacquiao in 2015: this fight alone earned $ 400 million, and the ticket price reached $ 150,000! The boxers made $ 150 and $ 100 million respectively, making Floyd Mayweather the highest paid boxer in history.
3. Golf
Golf is a very exquisite sport, especially among the rich and famous, who are willing to make huge deposits to become members of some prestigious golf club. For example, Donald Trump used to have his own golf club. To get in, you had to pay a fee of $ 350,000. In 2009, Tiger Woods became the first billionaire athlete in history, with most of the money coming from advertising. Golf equipment isn’t cheap either, which is why tourist golf tournaments are popular. You have a chance to make a lot of money, but those clubs make a profit of $ 2,000,000 a year.
4. Soccer
Today’s football is based only on money, and the main source of income for all those football clubs is player transfers. If you think about it, it’s almost like slavery but with extra steps, only players make millions of dollars. Sponsorships, advertising, television broadcasts and all that fuss are also very important. The most expensive club in Europe is the Spanish “Real”. In 2019, it cost 3,224,000,000 euros, and its players are some of the highest paid athletes in the world.
5. Equestrian sports
A thoroughbred horse can cost over a million dollars! Its cost is comparable to that of the most luxurious racing cars. In 1983, a fabulous mare named Shareef Dancer was sold at auction for $ 40 million! This without taking into account the proper maintenance, care and nutrition so that the horse remains in excellent physical shape.
6. Navigation
Why is Navigation on this list? Well, first, of course, you will have to buy a yacht. And secondly, you will need to tune it like Xzibit did with cars. The materials are incredibly expensive. Sometimes, for the construction of a sports hall, the owners use space aluminum and other light but resistant materials. The slightest mistake can cause a decrease in speed, which would cost you the gold medal and the grand prize.
7. Formula 1
And finally, the most expensive sport in the world: «Formula 1» racing. These races became a stellar attraction in the mid-sixties and are still going strong. Spectacular, stressful, and extremely popular, these hyper-fast cars require an annual infusion of billions of dollars. Part of that money goes to building race tracks and buying cars, and of course the drivers need to eat. In the end, they are the ones who risk their lives and their health when they go to the track. The average salary of a Formula 1 driver is around 500,000 euros a year, but the winner takes home 150 million euros.
