forbes.com
Forbes 2025: World's Highest-Paid Athletes
Forbes' 2025 list of the world's highest-paid athletes, compiled from May 1, 2024, to May 1, 2025, ranks athletes based on total earnings (on-field and off-field income) gathered from industry insiders, salary databases, and news reports, with figures converted to USD.
- What are the key criteria used by Forbes to determine the rankings and overall earnings of athletes on their 2025 highest-paid list?
- The 2025 Forbes list of the world's highest-paid athletes, compiled from May 1, 2024, to May 1, 2025, ranks athletes based on their total earnings from on-field activities and off-field ventures. Data was gathered through various sources, including industry insiders, news reports, and salary databases, with figures converted to USD using current exchange rates. On-field earnings include salaries, bonuses, and prize money, while off-field earnings encompass sponsorships, appearance fees, and licensing income.
- What potential limitations or biases might exist in Forbes' methodology, and how could future rankings improve in terms of accuracy and transparency?
- The inclusion of LIV Golf payments in golfers' on-field earnings highlights the evolving landscape of professional sports sponsorship. The methodology's approach to estimating remaining guaranteed payments, along with the reliance on anonymous sources and estimations, introduces potential inaccuracies. Future iterations could benefit from more transparent data disclosure and refined estimation techniques.
- How did Forbes account for the varied payment structures in different sports, especially considering the complexities of deals such as those with LIV Golf?
- Forbes' methodology for calculating athlete earnings involved considering on-field income (salaries, bonuses, prize money) and off-field income (sponsorships, appearances, licensing). The data collection process relied on numerous sources, such as industry experts (many anonymous), publicly available databases (Capology, Over the Cap, Spotrac), and news reports. Discrepancies were addressed through estimations based on industry knowledge and standard practices.
Cognitive Concepts
Framing Bias
The framing is primarily descriptive, focusing on the methodology used to compile the list. However, the emphasis on the financial details and the specific sources used could subtly frame the list as highly objective and precise, potentially overshadowing the inherent limitations and potential biases of the data collection process. The repeated emphasis on financial figures could also subtly frame high income as the primary measure of athletic success.
Language Bias
The language used is largely neutral and descriptive. The text uses terms like "on-field earnings" and "off-field earnings" which are consistent and precise. However, the description of LIV Golf as an "upstart Saudi-backed tour" could be considered subtly loaded language. A more neutral description might be "the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour."
Bias by Omission
The methodology description focuses heavily on the financial calculations and data sources used, but lacks explicit mention of potential biases in selecting athletes for inclusion or exclusion from the list. There is no discussion of the criteria used to determine which athletes were considered 'top-tier' in LIV Golf, potentially leading to bias in the income estimations for those players. Additionally, there's no explanation of how the 'dozens of industry insiders' were selected, raising questions about potential sampling bias. The lack of transparency in these selection processes could affect the overall representativeness and objectivity of the list.
Sustainable Development Goals
The article highlights the vast income disparity between the world's highest-paid athletes and the global population. This extreme wealth concentration exacerbates existing inequalities and undermines efforts towards a more equitable distribution of resources.