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Which is a Money Magnet? NBA or NFL?

1383 views January 5, 2023
by TJ


NBA and NFL, two of the most popular sports in America, are raking in millions, if not billions, of dollars per year. According to Forbes, over 35 players are expected to cash more than $28 million in annual salary.

But while many professional athletes will make millions by the end of 2022, the bigger question is: who makes more money as a whole? NBA or NFL?

The answer will probably shock you. It is not what you think it is.

It is because this sport’s revenue actually grew 7% from its previous earnings. However, its main competitor will probably surpass it in the next few years.

OKBET NBA or NFL?

NFL Players vs. NBA Players

Based on the football website SpotRac, the highest-paid NFL players are Matthew Stafford ($61.5 million), Russell Wilson ($57 million), Josh Allen ($46.9 million), Deshaun Watson ($45.3 million), and Aaron Rodgers ($42 million.) If we compare it to NBA superstars like Lebron James, Stafford’s income is at least 50 million dollars short.

James earns an annual income of $111.2 million. He is followed by Stephen Curry ($92.8 million), Kevin Durant ($87.9 million), Giannis Antekounmpo ($80.2 million), and Russell Westbrook ($74.2 million).

NBA Players Earn More

There is no question that players being inducted into the NBA are making more money than those in the NFL scene. It is due to the basketball league being the “most creative and innovative” sports league in North America.

To add, there are various sources of revenue, including ticket sales, television rights, merchandising, and sponsorships.

As of the 2018-2019 season, the organization reached a total revenue of $8.7 billion. All the teams in the 2019-2020 season totaled $2.1 billion.

Regarding third-party incomes, the NBA relies heavily on television’s significant role. In fact, ESPN and TNT have increased their NBA contracts to $24 billion for nine years, or $2.6 billion per year.

There is also the vast merchandise deals the NBA enters into. Every year, the league earns more than 1 billion dollars. More if players wore the brands’ logos on their uniforms.

So far, wearing these logos has already brought in about $9.3 million yearly, or a total of $150 million. As of this writing, companies that advertise themselves through the NBA are Walt Disney, General Electric, Rakuten, and more.

Having tons of sponsors also brings in money. For example, an eight-year contract with Nike was worth $1 billion.

Ticket sales also affect the income of the NBA. Based on ESPN, the 2019-2020 season had about 15,000 to 20,000 fans attending every game.

If an average ticket is $75, a single NBA game makes $1.1 million to $1.5 million every night. If we multiply it by an NBA season of 1230 games, it would be around $1.3 billion to $1.8 billion per year.

So Which is Which? NBA or NFL?

Apparently, NFL makes more money than the NBA. According to Forbes, the football league earned a whopping $14 billion in revenue.

NBA, on the other hand, only made $8.7 billion. However, it jumped by 25% from its 2021 income, meaning its industry is rapidly growing. In other terms, NBA would be making more money than the NFL soon.

Also, an NFL team is valued at an average of $2.8 billion, unlike an NBA team with less than $1 billion. 

However, the basketball association has other countries taking an interest. In Asia alone, over 30% are subscribers of the basketball league.

Soon OKBET players will be torn about who they will fully support. But to answer who makes more money: is it NBA or the NFL, the winner is the latter…for now. 

Read: Orlando Magic’s Rising Star Paolo Banchero to win ROY?

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