Every year, Forbes magazine publishes a list of the highest paid athletes in the world, and this time it also revealed who are the highest paid athletes of all time. It is typical for an athlete's career to be relatively short. They have very little time to earn enough money for a decent life, because after the end of their career they can quickly become stingy. Well, this certainly does not apply to the biggest earners among athletes, who with their fabulous earnings have quickly provided for a few more generations behind them. These athletes are (were) not only the best of their kind, they are also winning with the numbers in their bank accounts.
Forbes revealed who they were highest paid athletes of all time. Sport is hard work, but those who have managed to break through are diligently filling their accounts with their achievements. Arnold Palmer, a former golfer who turned an athlete into a brand and is considered the father of sports marketing, earned in his lifetime 1.35 billion US dollars, the greater part of it after he hung the stick on the peg. Also Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest sports brand of all time, has far from made as much money on the field as it does off it. Even today, the majority sports superstars in addition to a 'regular' salary, he uses his appearance and popularity for advertising and promotion purposes, which brings them fabulous earnings.
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Although the biggest sums are turned over in football, he is on the eternal list of the biggest earners among athletes just one football player. There are four different sports in the top ten, and seven in the top twenty. These are basketball, football, golf, boxing, tennis, formula one and baseball. Among the 20 highest-paid athletes of all time, there are quite a few 13 Americans.
Top 20 highest paid athletes of all time:
