The Kids' Guide to Money in Sports

By Suzanne Slade

Athletes are some of the highest paid professionals in the world. The top players command salaries worth tens of millions of dollars, but the buck doesn’t stop there. Money is everywhere in sports, from ticket prices and merchandise to endorsements and advertisements.  Produced in partnership with Sports Illustrated KIDS.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Jan 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781491416488

Suzanne Slade

Suzanne Buckingham Slade is the award-winning author of 100 books for children. A Mechanical Engineer by degree, Ms. Slade began her writing career twenty years ago. She lives near Chicago with her husband and two children.

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SPORTS SALARIES

Salaries for professional athletes have risen dramatically over the years. Many of the best players make millions each year. Meanwhile, rookie athletes or veterans who are on the decline might earn considerably less.

The highest-earning athlete for 2012 was boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., who lived up to his nickname Money. Perhaps even more surprising than his top slot is the fact that he made his colossal $85 million by competing in only two fights.

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. (left) takes a jab at Miguel Cotto.

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Allen Iverson

But sports stars’ salaries don’t always go up. If players are injured often or their performance declines over the years, their value to the team drops too.

Basketball star Allen Iverson began his National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1996. He was the number one overall draft pick that year. His salary for the 1996–97 season was $2.3 million. As the young player’s skill and experience grew, so did his salary. In 2000–01 he earned $10.1 million. His salary rose to $14.6 million in 2004–05 and to $20.8 million in 2008–09.

Then the aging Iverson started to struggle with injuries, and his salary dropped. In 2009–10 a torn hamstring ended his time with the Memphis Grizzlies after only three games. He finished his season with the 76ers but earned only $1.2 million that year.

Amounts are based on 2012 salaries.

FAIR PLAY, FAIR PAY?

Women have worked to get the same opportunities in sports as men, but their pay to play those same sports lags far behind. One reason for this uneven pay scale is fan interest.