Sports contracts in America: European amounts are nothing RTL News
By RTL News / Jochem Michels··Modified:
RTL
Dutch baseball player Xander Bogaerts recently signed a new contract with the Boston Red Sox worth €117 million. A huge sum, but not unusual in the world of sports in the United States.
In America there are many large sums of this kind, but in the end only one person can earn the most.
Below are the highest-paid players in each sport, based on contract value. This gives a better picture of the investment in an athlete than annual salary.
Baseball: Mike Trout ($380 million in 12 years)
Money is spent in Major League Baseball: the top 10 highest-paid athletes play there. Trout is the highest-paid athlete of all time, but he is not widely known outside his home country. The MLB star is the star of his team and has twice Most Valuable Player He won (MVP). His team, the Angels, wanted to build around him so they signed him for a big sum of money.
Basketball: James Harden ($203 million over four years)
With this contract, Harden holds the NBA record, which, according to the media, is worth more than anything else. The basketball player, nicknamed: Dee Bard, has been the player with the most points in the competition for two consecutive seasons. He is considered a top contender for the MVP award this year and has already scored more than 50 points in a single game seven times this season.
American Football: Aaron Rodgers (€119 million in four years)
This dedicated quarterback has been with his club since 2005 and has six NFL records to his name. He has won a Super Bowl and been voted the Finals MVP, an award he has also held for two different seasons. The 35-year-old veteran continues to prove his worth at the highest level and is the highest-paid player in the league.
Ice Hockey: Connor McDavid (€89m over eight years)
The ice hockey player is the captain of the Oilers, a major league team with a rich history. At 22 years old, he has already won many personal titles, but has yet to contribute to his team’s trophy cabinet. From Rookie of the Year to Player of the Year, he has risen to the top of the NHL shortly after arriving. Both with his qualities and his salary.
Football: Michael Bradley (€29m over five years)
In America, things are a little different. The athletes who earn the least are soccer players, and the competition has not yet been established there. Former Juventus player Sebastian Giovinco was actually the top earner for both Toronto FC and MLS, but he left with a lot of mites. Now his former teammate and former Herrera player Michael Bradley is the highest-paid soccer player in North America, and the experienced player also previously played for Roma and is captain of his country’s national team.