What is the Highest Paid Sport in the World?
Everyone knows it pays to be a sports star, but if you’re going to go for the gold then you’ll need to know which sports league pays the largest salary. Once you’ve chosen your highest paying sport to excel in then you’ll need to know which team pays the highest salary!
This article is your guide to riches! Check out the tables below to find out which team you need to get signed on to become a millionaire. We give you the facts, the rest is up to you…
Highest Paying Sports in the World
Step one to riches is choosing the most profitable sport to get involved in. Below is a table of the total salaries paid out from each league to its players, and the average salaries per player as well as the median salaries per year.
American leagues dominate the charts with the top four highest-paid leagues being American
| League | Total Salaries | Average Salary Per Player | Median Salary |
| NBA | $3,661,652,248 | $8,321,937 | $4,000,000 |
| IPL | $90,893,850 | $101,444 (per week) $5,300,000 (annual pro rata) | $72,450 (per week) |
| MLB | $3,451,005,858 | $4,031,549 | $905,000 |
| EPL | $1,967,423,750 | $3,966,580 | $2,925,000 |
| NFL | $5,524,555,998 | $3,257,403 | $1,228,053 |
| NHL | $2,069,893,259 | $2,688,173 | $1,875,000 |
| La Liga | $1,253,153,811 | $2,547,061 | $983,705 |
| Serie A | $1,220,833,350 | $2,231,871 | $1,302,084 |
| Bundesliga | $975,961,338 | $1,979,638 | $1,121,478 |
| Ligue 1 | $1,038,759 | $1,298,449 | $568,898 |
| CSL | $586,713,331 | $1,207,229 | $366,364 |
| NPB | $315,061,130 | $875,170 | $547,445 |
| MLS | $288,332,177 | $410,730 | $179,998 |
| J-League | $171,263,684 | $326,839 | $136,861 |
| SPL | $77,619,509 | $253,659 | $238,990 |
| AFL | $177,788,660 | $252,900 | $107,521 |
| CFL | $35,128,459 | $88,708 | $60,050 |
| WNBA | $10,825,998 | $75,181 | $57,329 |
Highest Paying Sports Teams
Not all teams are created equal with the top teams leveraging huge salaries to bring in the biggest talent in the industry leaving the smaller teams to fight for what’s left.
Even though European leagues are overall not the highest paid in the world they do contain some of the most highly paid individual teams with the top three being in Spain and Italy.
Below is a table on the top-paying teams across all leagues in the world.
| Rank | Team | League | Average Annual Salary |
| 1 | Barcelona | La Liga | $12,284,555 |
| 2 | Real Madrid | La Liga | $11,154,692 |
| 3 | Juventus | Serie A | $10,106,647 |
| 4 | Portland Trail Blazers | NBA | $10,039,828 |
| 5 | Golden State Warriors | NBA | $9,921,892 |
| 6 | Orlando Magic | NBA | $9,475,757 |
| 7 | Oklahoma City Thunder | NBA | $9,432,072 |
| 8 | Denver Nuggets | NBA | $9,311,943 |
| 9 | Miami Heat | NBA | $9,298,579 |
| 10 | Cleveland Cavaliers | NBA | $9,207,157 |
| 11 | Houston Rockets | NBA | $9,160,612 |
| 12 | PSG Ligue | Ligue 1 | $8,934,220 |
Highest Paying NBA Teams
European Soccer teams may dominate the top three spots as the highest paying teams in the world but the NBA dominates the charts in every other way grabbing eight out of the top twelve highest paying teams in the world.
Below is a chart ranking of all the teams in the NBA. It may surprise you to see which teams are shelling out the most dough for their talent.
| Rank | Team | Average Annual Salary |
| 1 | Portland Trail Blazers | $10,039,828 |
| 2 | Golden State Warriors | $9,921,892 |
| 3 | Orlando Magic | $9,475,757 |
| 4 | Oklahoma City Thunder | $9,432,072 |
| 5 | Denver Nuggets | $9,311,943 |
| 6 | Miami Heat | $9,298,579 |
| 7 | Cleveland Cavaliers | $9,207,157 |
| 8 | Houston Rockets | $9,160,612 |
| 9 | Los Angeles Clippers | $8,668,805 |
| 10 | Philadelphia 76ers | $8,621,800 |
| 11 | Washington Wizards | $8,500,330 |
| 12 | Detroit Pistons | $8,474,594 |
| 13 | Charlotte Hornets | $8,282,386 |
| 14 | Minnesota Timberwolves | $8,271,517 |
| 15 | Milwaukee Bucks | $8,168,508 |
| 16 | Toronto Raptors | $8,150,291 |
| 17 | Brooklyn Nets | $8,036,324 |
| 18 | Dallas Mavericks | $7,916,790 |
| 19 | San Antonio Spurs | $7,882,150 |
| 20 | Sacramento Kings | $7,876,629 |
| 21 | Los Angeles Lakers | $7,857,738 |
| 22 | Phoenix Suns | $7,827,956 |
| 23 | Boston Celtics | $7,806,673 |
| 24 | Utah Jazz | $7,739,041 |
| 25 | New Orleans Pelicans | $7,725,070 |
| 26 | Atlanta Hawks | $7,475,199 |
| 27 | Indiana Pacers | $7,464,208 |
| 28 | Chicago Bulls | $7,448,034 |
| 29 | Memphis Grizzlies | $7,091,444 |
| 30 | New York Knicks | $7,077,811 |
If you’re interested in the NBA and want to get an edge on your betting strategies check out our guide on how to bet on the NBA.
For more advanced sports betting strategies read our guide on how to pick an NBA upset.
Highest Paying MLB Teams
Not to be outdone, America’s Favorite Pastime also pays out huge salaries, but they come in behind the NFL and NBA with the highest-paid MLB team, the New York Yankees, spending as much as the twenty-sixth highest-paid NBA team when it comes to an average annual salary
This table ranks all thirty MLB teams based on average annual salary:
| Rank | Team | Average Annual Salary |
| 1 | New York Yankees | $7,692,199 |
| 2 | Boston Red Sox | $6,955,569 |
| 3 | Chicago Cubs | $6,394,536 |
| 4 | Houston Astros | $6,356,051 |
| 5 | Philadelphia Phillies | $5,853,160 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Angels | $5,207,961 |
| 7 | St. Louis Cardinals | $5,185,383 |
| 8 | Washington Nationals | $5,180,900 |
| 9 | New York Mets | $5,107,479 |
| 10 | Los Angeles Dodgers | $5,044,326 |
| 11 | San Francisco Giants | $4,883,050 |
| 12 | Atlanta Braves | $4,766,113 |
| 13 | Colorado Rockies | $4,696,500 |
| 14 | Milwaukee Brewers | $3,914,998 |
| 15 | Cleveland Indians | $3,649,651 |
| 16 | Minnesota Twins | $3,637,734 |
| 17 | Texas Rangers | $3,444,293 |
| 18 | Seattle Mariners | $3,297,977 |
| 19 | Detroit Tigers | $3,123,950 |
| 20 | Cincinnati Reds | $3,074,254 |
| 21 | San Diego Padres | $2,966,369 |
| 22 | Chicago White Sox | $2,821,310 |
| 23 | Oakland Athletics | $2,765,661 |
| 24 | Arizona Diamondbacks | $2,529,110 |
| 25 | Baltimore Orioles | $2,315,417 |
| 26 | Kansas City Royals | $2,232,184 |
| 27 | Miami Marlins | $2,066,086 |
| 28 | Tampa Bay Rays | $1,975,527 |
| 29 | Toronto Blue Jays | $1,926,425 |
| 30 | Pittsburgh Pirates | $1,690,764 |
If you’re interested in the NBA and want to get an edge on your betting strategies check out our video guide on how to bet on MLB.
Highest Paying NFL Teams
The NFL pays out the highest amount of total salaries in the world with a whopping collective of $5,524,555,998 in 2019! This $5,524,555,998 is shared among all 1,696 players in the NFL making the overall average salary for a player in the NFL $3,257,403.
With each team in the NFL playing sixteen games a season that is an average of $203,587 per game played. That kind of income can buy a lot of cheeseburgers.
Below is a chart listing the annual salaries of all the teams in the NFL:
| Rank | Team | Average Annual Salary |
| 1 | Atlanta Falcons | $4,706,057 |
| 2 | Philadelphia Eagles | $3,908,900 |
| 3 | Minnesota Vikings | $3,750,110 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers | $3,745,321 |
| 5 | New Orleans Saints | $3,693,831 |
| 6 | Green Bay Packers | $3,647,120 |
| 7 | New York Jets | $3,633,790 |
| 8 | Detroit Lions | $3,573,515 |
| 9 | San Francisco 49ers | $3,469,837 |
| 10 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $3,385,163 |
| 11 | Tennessee Titans | $3,342,081 |
| 12 | Oakland Raiders | $3,327,042 |
| 13 | Buffalo Bills | $3,273,291 |
| 14 | Denver Broncos | $3,256,686 |
| 15 | Jacksonville Jaguars | $3,234,333 |
| 16 | New England Patriots | $3,208,486 |
| 17 | Los Angeles Rams | $3,177,835 |
| 18 | Seattle Seahawks | $3,165,824 |
| 19 | Arizona Cardinals | $3,156,908 |
| 20 | Cleveland Browns | $3,151,363 |
| 21 | Cincinnati Bengals | $3,103,443 |
| 22 | Houston Texans | $3,077,228 |
| 23 | Carolina Panthers | $3,051,553 |
| 24 | Chicago Bears | $3,007,179 |
| 25 | Kansas City Chiefs | $2,992,991 |
| 26 | New York Giants | $2,992,702 |
| 27 | Dallas Cowboys | $2,973,979 |
| 28 | Baltimore Ravens | $2,894,360 |
| 29 | Indianapolis Colts | $2,888,681 |
| 30 | Washington Redskins | $2,765,193 |
| 31 | Los Angeles Chargers | $2,630,672 |
| 32 | Miami Dolphins | $2,051,431 |
If you’re interested in the NBA and want to get an edge on your betting strategies check out our video guide on how to bet on the NFL.
Highest Paying MLS Teams
Given Major League Soccer’s popularity deficit in the US is it not surprising that financially they are well behind other more established leagues such as the NFL and NBA when it comes to salaries, but when it comes to popularity Soccer is a rising star.
According to a study reported on by Forbes MLS has experienced a 27% rise in popularity since 2012 with more and more high schools across the nation opting to create soccer programs every year. This rise in popularity coupled with younger generations having an exciting new alternative to football will continue the growing trend of soccer’s overall popularity in the US
The competitive nature of Americans will inevitably lead to MLS teams one day going overseas with greater frequency to test their mettle against the well established “old guard” teams of the European leagues.
Here is a chart listing the overall average annual salaries in MLS:
| Rank | Team | Average Annual Salary |
| 1 | Toronto FC | $758,346 |
| 2 | LA Galaxy | $654,129 |
| 3 | Chicago Fire | $611,249 |
| 4 | LAFC | $509,998 |
| 5 | Seattle Sounders FC | $488,515 |
| 6 | Portland Timbers | $464,960 |
| 7 | Montreal Impact | $438,409 |
| 8 | Orlando City SC | $418,858 |
| 9 | Sporting Kansas City | $418,858 |
| 10 | New England Revolution | $418,858 |
| 11 | Atlanta United | $404,910 |
| 12 | Minnesota United | $379,732 |
| 13 | DC United | $377,603 |
| 14 | New York City | $371,985 |
| 15 | Columbus Crew | $366,021 |
| 16 | Real Salt Lake | $358,638 |
| 17 | San Jose Earthquakes | $358,638 |
| 18 | Philadelphia Union | $338,887 |
| 19 | Colorado Rapids | $307,143 |
| 20 | Houston Dynamo | $301,547 |
| 21 | New York Red Bulls | $298,929 |
| 22 | FC Cincinnati | $289,846 |
| 23 | FC Dallas | $282,925 |
| 24 | Vancouver Whitecaps | $271,738 |
If you’re interested in the NBA and want to get an edge on your betting strategies check out our video guide on how to bet on the MLS.
Highest Paying NHL Teams
The NHL’s players aren’t the only thing that is aggressive about the NHL, their total average salaries come in at fourth place overall with a total paid out of $2,069,893,259 in 2019.
The chart below lists the annual salaries of all NHL teams in order of the highest annually paid.
| Rank | Team | Average Annual Salary |
| 1 | Minnesota Wild | $3,317,500 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | $3,278,428 |
| 3 | St Louis Blues | $3,187,600 |
| 4 | Nashville Predators | $3,162,841 |
| 5 | Vegas Golden Knights | $3,121,731 |
| 6 | Colorado Avalanche | $3,093,021 |
| 7 | Buffalo Sabres | $3,067,500 |
| 8 | Winnipeg Jets | $3,062,847 |
| 9 | Florida Panthers | $3,055,926 |
| 10 | Calgary Flames | $3,048,261 |
| 11 | New Jersey Devils | $2,965,521 |
| 12 | Columbus Blue Jackets | $2,919,070 |
| 13 | Carolina Hurricanes | $2,910,909 |
| 14 | Anaheim Ducks | $2,825,481 |
| 15 | Philadelphia Flyers | $2,822,391 |
| 16 | Arizona Coyotes | $2,758,250 |
| 17 | Dallas Stars | $2,708,750 |
| 18 | Detroit Red Wings | $2,674,600 |
| 19 | New York Islanders | $2,642,222 |
| 20 | Chicago Blackhawks | $2,519,268 |
| 21 | Tampa Bay Lightning | $2,474,271 |
| 22 | New York Rangers | $2,419,091 |
| 23 | Edmonton Oilers | $2,405,268 |
| 24 | Washington Capitals | $2,403,173 |
| 25 | Boston Bruins | $2,382,981 |
| 26 | San Jose Sharks | $2,374,583 |
| 27 | Los Angeles Kings | $2,330,200 |
| 28 | Ottawa Senators | $2,161,019 |
| 29 | Montreal Canadiens | $2,088,796 |
| 30 | Vancouver Canucks | $2,021,771 |
| 31 | Toronto Maple Leafs | $1,537,586 |
If you’re interested in the NBA and want to get an edge on your betting strategies check out our video guide on how to bet on the NHL.
Highest Paying WNBA Teams
The WNBA has historically had a payment gap from their colleagues in the NBA and that issue does not seem to be going away anytime soon. Players in the NBA made on average three hundred and thirty-eight times as much money as their colleagues in the WNBA.
There are only twelve teams in the WNBA compared to the thirty in the NBA with the highest-paid team in the WNBA collecting an annual average salary of $81,709 compared to the highest-paid team in the NBA, the Portland Trail Blazers, who bring in an impressive $10,039,828 salary on average.
Inevitably this pay gap brings to light issues of a gender pay gap and those concerns are valid but there is also the fact that realistically the WNBA is not as popular as the NBA. Players in the MLS also have a revenue problem that is tied to their popularity issues. Hopefully, in time both the WNBA and MLS will increase their popularity in the coming years and decades.
Below is a chart showing every team in the WNBA and the average annual salary they received in 2019:
| Rank | Team | Average Annual Salary |
| 1 | Phoenix Mercury | $81,709 |
| 2 | Chicago Sky | $80,421 |
| 3 | Atlanta Dream | $79,098 |
| 4 | Washington Mystics | $78,433 |
| 5 | Connecticut Sun | $77,820 |
| 6 | Las Vegas Aces | $77,624 |
| 7 | Los Angeles Sparks | $76,477 |
| 8 | Seattle Storm | $74,757 |
| 9 | Minnesota Lynx | $74,217 |
| 10 | New York Liberty | $70,720 |
| 11 | Indiana Fever | $67,669 |
| 12 | Dallas Wings | $63,221 |
All of the figures in this article are sourced from the Global Sports Salaries Survey 2019, Sportingintelligence.