Your data guide to football betting, Dan Tracey shows you where the numbers point before the market catches up.
We all know that the top athletes in the world are incredibly wealthy, earning millions and millions of dollars each year. But which of the world’s top sports people earn the most per minute they are taking part in their sport?
As a sports betting site, we wanted to study the earnings of the highest-paid athletes in the past twelve months and compare this with how many minutes they spent on the field, court, or ring, to find out who makes the most money for every minute of competitive action.
Time Is Money: Revealing the Top Athletes' Per-Minute Earnings in Sports!
Earnings Per Minute by Athlete
| RANK | NAME | SPORT | ON-FIELD EARNINGS | MINUTES PLAYED | EARNINGS PER MINUTE | To Earn $1m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyson Fury | Boxing | $140,000,000 | 72 | $1,944,444 | 00:00:31 |
| 2 | Oleksandr Usyk | Boxing | $100,000,000 | 72 | $1,388,889 | 00:00:43 |
| 3 | Canelo Alvarez | Boxing | $70,000,000 | 72 | $972,222 | 00:01:02 |
| 4 | Dak Prescott | Football | $127,000,000 | 480 | $264,583 | 00:03:47 |
| 5 | Deshaun Watson | Football | $90,800,000 | 420 | $216,190 | 00:04:38 |
| 6 | Trevor Lawrence | Football | $74,500,000 | 600 | $124,167 | 00:08:03 |
| 7 | Tua Tagovailoa | Football | $68,400,000 | 660 | $103,636 | 00:09:39 |
| 8 | Jordan Love | Football | $79,000,000 | 900 | $87,778 | 00:11:24 |
| 9 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Soccer | $225,000,000 | 2620 | $85,878 | 00:11:39 |
| 10 | Jared Goff | Football | $75,800,000 | 1020 | $74,314 | 00:13:27 |
| 11 | Russell Wilson | Football | $47,600,000 | 660 | $72,121 | 00:13:52 |
| 12 | CeeDee Lamb | Football | $64,200,000 | 900 | $71,333 | 00:14:01 |
| 13 | Justin Jefferson | Football | $68,200,000 | 1020 | $66,863 | 00:14:57 |
| 14 | Justin Herbert | Football | $63,600,000 | 1020 | $62,353 | 00:16:02 |
| 15 | Patrick Mahomes | Football | $58,800,000 | 960 | $61,250 | 00:16:20 |
| 16 | Josh Allen | Football | $60,100,000 | 1020 | $58,922 | 00:16:58 |
| 17 | Joel Embiid | Basketball | $50,400,000 | 912 | $55,263 | 00:18:06 |
| 18 | Kyler Murray | Football | $51,600,000 | 1020 | $50,588 | 00:19:46 |
| 19 | Lionel Messi | Soccer | $60,000,000 | 1489 | $40,296 | 00:24:49 |
| 20 | Karim Benzema | Soccer | $100,000,000 | 2529 | $39,541 | 00:25:17 |
| 21 | Jimmy Butler | Basketball | $48,800,000 | 1440 | $33,889 | 00:29:30 |
| 22 | Luka Doncic | Basketball | $43,500,000 | 1344 | $32,366 | 00:30:54 |
| 23 | Kawhi Leonard | Basketball | $49,300,000 | 1776 | $27,759 | 00:36:01 |
| 24 | Paul George | Basketball | $49,300,000 | 1968 | $25,051 | 00:39:55 |
| 25 | Max Verstappen | Auto Racing | $72,000,000 | 2880 | $25,000 | 00:40:00 |
| 26 | Kylian Mbappé | Soccer | $70,000,000 | 2907 | $24,080 | 00:41:32 |
| 27 | Lewis Hamilton | Auto Racing | $60,000,000 | 2880 | $20,833 | 00:48:00 |
| 28 | Bradley Beal | Basketball | $50,200,000 | 2544 | $19,733 | 00:50:41 |
| 29 | Blake Snell | Baseball | $66,600,000 | 3600 | $18,500 | 00:54:03 |
| 30 | Damian Lillard | Basketball | $49,500,000 | 2784 | $17,780 | 00:56:15 |
| 31 | Vinicius Junior | Soccer | $40,000,000 | 2253 | $17,754 | 00:56:20 |
| 32 | Sadio Mané | Soccer | $50,000,000 | 2820 | $17,730 | 00:56:24 |
| 33 | Erling Haaland | Soccer | $48,000,000 | 2736 | $17,544 | 00:57:00 |
| 34 | Kevin Durant | Basketball | $51,400,000 | 2976 | $17,272 | 00:57:54 |
| 35 | Stephen Curry | Basketball | $56,000,000 | 3360 | $16,667 | 01:00:00 |
| 36 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Basketball | $49,400,000 | 3216 | $15,361 | 01:05:06 |
| 37 | Nikola Jokic | Basketball | $51,600,000 | 3360 | $15,357 | 01:05:07 |
| 38 | LeBron James | Basketball | $48,800,000 | 3360 | $14,524 | 01:08:51 |
| 39 | Devin Booker | Basketball | $49,300,000 | 3600 | $13,694 | 01:13:01 |
| 40 | Anthony Edwards | Basketball | $42,100,000 | 3792 | $11,102 | 01:30:04 |
| 41 | Jayson Tatum | Basketball | $35,800,000 | 3456 | $10,359 | 01:36:32 |
| 42 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Basketball | $36,200,000 | 3648 | $9,923 | 01:40:46 |
| 43 | Juan Soto | Baseball | $109,000,000 | 28260 | $3,857 | 04:19:16 |
| 44 | Shohei Ohtani | Baseball | $2,500,000 | 28620 | $87 | 22:48:00 |
| 45 | Neymar | Soccer | $46,000,000 | 0 | $0 | 0 |
Tyson Fury - $1,944,444 Per Minute
The king of the ring and also the king of our earnings list, it is none other than Tyson Fury. The British boxer went to war with Ukrainian counterpart Oleksandr Usyk twice in 2024 and although he was on the losing side both times, he still managed to collect $140m in active earnings.
72 minutes in the ring across those two fights and this meant the Brit was racking up $1.94m per 60 seconds in the ring and it would take him only 31 seconds to earn $1m.
Oleksandr Usyk - $1,388,889 Per Minute
Second in the list is another member of the Boxing fraternity and with Oleksandr Usyk managing to earn $100m for his twice beating of Tyson Fury, the Ukrainian has been picked a large financial reward for such impressive efforts in the ring.
Not only is he the heavyweight champion of the world but it he also earns $1,388,889 per minute - this equates to taking just 43 seconds in order to earn his first $1m.
Image: lev radin//shutterstock
Canelo Alvarez - $972,222 Per Minute
Completing our top three is none other than Canelo Alvarez and like the heavyweight pair above, the Mexican was also active for a total of 72 minutes in 2024.
Another two wins for the multi-weight champion, meant another $70m was added to his bank account by the end of 2024. This also meant just 62 seconds were required before the first $1m was earned.
Boxing/MMA
There are but three boxers on the list this year and as we have already seen, they all occupy the top three overall.
| RANK | NAME | SPORT | ON-FIELD EARNINGS | MINUTES PLAYED | EARNINGS PER MINUTE | To Earn $1m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyson Fury | Boxing | $140,000,000 | 72 | $1,944,444 | 00:00:31 |
| 2 | Oleksandr Usyk | Boxing | $100,000,000 | 72 | $1,388,889 | 00:00:43 |
| 3 | Canelo Alvarez | Boxing | $70,000,000 | 72 | $972,222 | 00:01:02 |
Football
The NFL is one of the highest-paid major sports leagues in the world, but its stars actually spend a lot less time on the field than those in other sports.
The 2024 NFL season lasted for 17 games (followed by the postseason), with games lasting for just 60 minutes and it is Dak Prescott who finds himself top of the list.
Prescott played a total of 480 minutes last season and that was attached to his annual contract that is worth $127m. Therefore his per minute earnings were calculated at $264,583 - more than $50k ahead of the second highest NFL star Deshaun Watson.
By comparison, Watson earned $216,190 per minute and was one of only two players to break the $200k per minute barrier. In addition to this both he and Prescott would both earn their first $1m in less than five minutes.
NFL Earnings Unveiled: Per-Minute Earnings and On-Field Performers
| RANK | NAME | SPORT | ON-FIELD EARNINGS | MINUTES PLAYED | EARNINGS PER MINUTE | To Earn $1m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dak Prescott | Football | $127,000,000 | 480 | $264,583 | 00:03:47 |
| 2 | Deshaun Watson | Football | $90,800,000 | 420 | $216,190 | 00:04:38 |
| 3 | Trevor Lawrence | Football | $74,500,000 | 600 | $124,167 | 00:08:03 |
| 4 | Tua Tagovailoa | Football | $68,400,000 | 660 | $103,636 | 00:09:39 |
| 5 | Jordan Love | Football | $79,000,000 | 900 | $87,778 | 00:11:24 |
| 6 | Jared Goff | Football | $75,800,000 | 1020 | $74,314 | 00:13:27 |
| 7 | Russell Wilson | Football | $47,600,000 | 660 | $72,121 | 00:13:52 |
| 8 | CeeDee Lamb | Football | $64,200,000 | 900 | $71,333 | 00:14:01 |
| 9 | Justin Jefferson | Football | $68,200,000 | 1020 | $66,863 | 00:14:57 |
| 10 | Justin Herbert | Football | $63,600,000 | 1020 | $62,353 | 00:16:02 |
| 11 | Patrick Mahomes | Football | $58,800,000 | 960 | $61,250 | 00:16:20 |
| 12 | Josh Allen | Football | $60,100,000 | 1020 | $58,922 | 00:16:58 |
| 13 | Kyler Murray | Football | $51,600,000 | 1020 | $50,588 | 00:19:46 |
Soccer
While the soccer season is usually relatively long, especially if the team goes on a long cup run or does well in Europe, with the top players rarely being substituted too, these mega wages mean that the top players still take home a huge sum per minute played.
This season saw Cristiano Ronaldo top the chart and after playing 2,620 Saudi Pro League minutes for Al-Nassr, the Portuguese icon would go on to earn $85,878 per minute - more than twice the amount that arch rival Lionel Messi would manage.
With Messi now a firm fixture in Inter Miami's colours, the 2022 World Cup winner would play 1,489 in last season's MLS and after earning $60m, this meant $40,296.
A figure that only just pipped Karim Benzema to third place. The former French international is also another star who plies his trade in the Saudi Arabian gold rush and with $100m earned after 2,529 minutes of effort, this meant $39,541 for every 60 seconds on the pitch.
Soccer's Elite: Revealing the Highest-Paid Athletes and Earnings Per Minute
| RANK | NAME | SPORT | ON-FIELD EARNINGS | MINUTES PLAYED | EARNINGS PER MINUTE | To Earn $1m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Soccer | $225,000,000 | 2620 | $85,878 | 00:11:39 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Soccer | $60,000,000 | 1489 | $40,296 | 00:24:49 |
| 3 | Karim Benzema | Soccer | $100,000,000 | 2529 | $39,541 | 00:25:17 |
| 4 | Kylian Mbappé | Soccer | $70,000,000 | 2907 | $24,080 | 00:41:32 |
| 5 | Vinicius Junior | Soccer | $40,000,000 | 2253 | $17,754 | 00:56:20 |
| 6 | Sadio Mané | Soccer | $50,000,000 | 2820 | $17,730 | 00:56:24 |
| 7 | Erling Haaland | Soccer | $48,000,000 | 2736 | $17,544 | 00:57:00 |
| 8 | Neymar | Soccer | $46,000,000 | 0 | $0 | 0 |
Basketball
No less than 16 NBA stars made the top 50 earners list and when we break down the earnings per minute, we can see that Joel Embiid is top of the shop with $55,263 pocketed for every 60 seconds on the court.
Embiid played 912 minutes last season and with on-court earnings of $50.4m, that activity was enough to earn more every 60 seconds than the likes of Jimmy Butler and Luka Doncic who finished second and third in this year's list respectively.
While names such as Steph Curry and Lebron James should not be ignored either. They ranked 9th and 12th in the basketball list. The former earning $16,667 per 60 seconds, the latter $14,524.
NBA's Earnings Breakdown: Top Earners and Per-Minute Prowess!
| Rank | Name | Sport | On-The-Field Earnings | Minutes played | Earnings Per Minute | To Earn $1m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joel Embiid | Basketball | $50,400,000 | 912 | $55,263 | 00:18:06 |
| 2 | Jimmy Butler | Basketball | $48,800,000 | 1440 | $33,889 | 00:29:30 |
| 3 | Luka Doncic | Basketball | $43,500,000 | 1344 | $32,366 | 00:30:54 |
| 4 | Kawhi Leonard | Basketball | $49,300,000 | 1776 | $27,759 | 00:36:01 |
| 5 | Paul George | Basketball | $49,300,000 | 1968 | $25,051 | 00:39:55 |
| 6 | Bradley Beal | Basketball | $50,200,000 | 2544 | $19,733 | 00:50:41 |
| 7 | Damian Lillard | Basketball | $49,500,000 | 2784 | $17,780 | 00:56:15 |
| 8 | Kevin Durant | Basketball | $51,400,000 | 2976 | $17,272 | 00:57:54 |
| 9 | Stephen Curry | Basketball | $56,000,000 | 3360 | $16,667 | 01:00:00 |
| 10 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Basketball | $49,400,000 | 3216 | $15,361 | 01:05:06 |
| 11 | Nikola Jokic | Basketball | $51,600,000 | 3360 | $15,357 | 01:05:07 |
| 12 | LeBron James | Basketball | $48,800,000 | 3360 | $14,524 | 01:08:51 |
| 13 | Devin Booker | Basketball | $49,300,000 | 3600 | $13,694 | 01:13:01 |
| 14 | Anthony Edwards | Basketball | $42,100,000 | 3792 | $11,102 | 01:30:04 |
| 15 | Jayson Tatum | Basketball | $35,800,000 | 3456 | $10,359 | 01:36:32 |
| 16 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Basketball | $36,200,000 | 3648 | $9,923 | 01:40:46 |
Highest point-scorers in every NBA team’s history
Summary by Sport
So, how do the earnings per minute break down across the different sports? As you can see, those in boxing bring home by far the most for every minute of competitive action ($1,435,185) and far more than any of the other highest-earning sports.
At the other end of the spectrum, baseball players made the least per minute with the trio of Blake Snell, Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani combining to earn an average of $2,945. When compared to the NBA, basketball starts made as much as eight times more when looking at the highest earners per minute.
In terms of the two types of football, american football players made an average of $87,041 and soccer player made just $36,821 by comparison.
Also an honourable mention must go to the F1 pair of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, who between them earned an average of $22,197 per minute,
| Rank | Sport | On-The-Field Earnings | Minutes played | Earnings Per Minute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boxing | $310,000,000 | 216 | $1,435,185 |
| 2 | Football | $929,600,000 | 10680 | $87,041 |
| 3 | Soccer | $639,000,000 | 17354 | $36,821 |
| 4 | Auto Racing | $132,000,000 | 5760 | $22,917 |
| 5 | Basketball | $761,600,000 | 43536 | $17,494 |
| 6 | Baseball | $178,100,000 | 60480 | $2,945 |
Significant Changes in 2024
💰📈 Biggest increase in earnings
The biggest increase in earnings was recorded by Tyson Fury. $42m earned in 2023, skyrocketing to $140m a year later. However, this should be noted that the increase is only measured when sportstars are in both the 2023 and 2024 list.
💰📉 Biggest decrease in earnings
While the biggest decrease in earnings is recorded by Neymar. No activity due to injury and his Saudi paymasters cut his earnings from $80m to $46m - a downturn of $34m. Considering the sums of money spent on the Brazilian to faciliate a switch to PSG, it does not look like money well spent - especially as he now plays for Santos in Brazil.
💰⏰📈 Biggest increase in earnings per minute
The biggest change in earnings per minute comes courtesy of Tyson Fury. Last year the heavyweight boxer was earning $63,636 for every 60 seconds in the ring. That figure now stands at an eye-watering $1.94m - an increase of $1,308,081.
💰⏰📉 Biggest decrease in earnings per minute
This unwanted honour goes to Justin Herbert. In our last report, he was earning $86,794m for every 60 seconds on the Gridiron. That figure has been chopped to $62,353.
💰⏰📈 Biggest difference in time to earn $1m
The biggest change in earnings per minute comes courtesy of Shinjo Ohtani. Last time around the Japanese Baseball star was earning $1m in 57,629 seconds. 2024 saw him take 82,080 by comparison - 24,451 seconds worse off.
💰⏰📉 Smallest difference in time to earn $1m
That prize goes to NBA star Luka Doncic. Whereas it previously took him 4,682 seconds to earn $1m, that figure has now been whittled down to 1,854 - a difference of 2,828 seconds in his favour.
![Star Athletes' Kryptonite [Study]](https://olbgimages.co.uk/image-cache?src=https://olbgimages.co.uk/storage/gallery/american-football/image6-min.png&w=500&h=281.25&zc=1)
Star Athletes' Kryptonite [Study]
Methodology
We took the on-field earnings of the 50 highest-earning athletes in the world according to Forbes’ 2024 list of Highest-Paid Athletes, choosing to focus just on those athletes from the worlds of American football, basketball, association football and boxing.
We then sourced the number of minutes played by each athlete in the last completed season (or between the dates of Jan 1st 2024, and Dec 31st 2024 for boxing) using the following sources:
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/
https://www.basketball-reference.com/
https://www.baseball-reference.com/
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/
Note that for American Football players, statistics for minutes played were unavailable, so we took the number of games played and multiplied them by 60 (the standard number of minutes for an NFL match).
For Baseball players, statistics for minutes played were unavailable, so we took the number of games played and multiplied them by 180 (the standard number of minutes for an MLB match).
For Auto Racing, statistics for minutes played were unavailable, so we took the number of races driven in 2024 and multiplied them by 120 (the standard number of minutes for a F1 Race).
Our figures only account for playtime and do not consider the time spent training but demonstrate how much is earned by each sports star during a game or match.
We have put together many similar studies, please take a look around the site and if you are in the US and interested in the growing sports betting market, please take a look at our latest list of available legal sportsbooks.
Editorial Information
This article was researched and written by our Data Scientist Dan Tracey who searched the data and presented it by sport and as a comparison round-up, splitting it down by minute to cover some interesting earning angles.
