When we talk about contracts and sports salaries it is obvious for many to turn up their noses. We think that some figures should be considered immoral.
Yet, upon closer inspection, the passion of billions of human beings for sport must have a remuneration commensurate with the stress and commitment that these activities entail. If the market is alive, then it enjoys many resources. And if there are many resources available, a part goes to the most loved and followed champions. Of course, considering how many football fans there are, it would be logical to think that the highest paid athlete is a footballer.
Yet, to many, the name of the athlete who has the most substantial sporting salary of all may not even suggest the sport he plays: his name is Shōhei Ōtani; other than Messi or Ronaldo, the richest sporting contract in the world is his. And his contract includes a salary of 700 million dollars. Too bad he won’t be able to enjoy himself for the most part right away.
How is such a profitable contract possible?
Shōhei Ōtani is the pitcher, hitter and outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The multiplicity of his role makes us understand in part his value. He manages to complete all phases of the game with extreme performance, comparable to the best in history. Having him in the team means having two players in one. There is also another reason that explains the enormity of the contract.
The reference championship is the US Major League Baseball. Baseball is not only a very popular sport in the United States, but also one of the best paid: television rights, top-level teams, a competitive championship full of games: 162 per season. The sponsors are among the most prestigious in the world. The Major League, not surprisingly, is the second richest sports league in the world, preceded exclusively by the American football NFL. Paradoxically, however, the Japanese champion, now twenty-nine years old, will only be able to enjoy a small part of this pharaonic figure until 2034.
Other than Messi or Ronaldo, the highest paid sports contract in the world is his
In fact, due to salary cap issues, approximately 680 million dollars will be paid upon retirement. This means that, until then, Shōhei Ōtani will be able to rely on 2 million dollars per season and personal sponsors. Which, according to published data, currently finance it with around 40 million dollars a year. However, during his sporting retirement he will enjoy a river of gold poured all together. He will definitely be able to afford the luxury of being able to fully enjoy all his time, a privilege granted to few men.
It must be said that on a contractual level the two aces of world football are not that far apart. It has been estimated that Lionel Messi raked in around €670 million during his Spanish spell. Cristiano Ronaldo managed to receive a similar amount for an even shorter period: around 520 million for a 3-year contract with the Saudi team All Nassr.
2024-03-21 20:49:03
#Messi #Ronaldo #richest #sports #contract #world #unthinkable #sport
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