# How much does a pro cyclist make?



## superhossenpheffer

I was wondering how much pro cyclists make and found a good article on it here:

http://www.bidonpull.com

Thought I would share.


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## B05

> How much does a pro cyclist make?


not enough.

there are lots of sports out there where the unfit still get paid a ton. Baseball? "Hide" them at the first base. Lots of BBALL players aren't in shape and so does linemen in the NFL.


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## xjbaylor

B05 said:


> not enough.
> 
> there are lots of sports out there where the unfit still get paid a ton. Baseball? "Hide" them at the first base. Lots of BBALL players aren't in shape and so does linemen in the NFL.


It isn't a matter of how good of shape you are in with regards to most professional sports. You get paid based on how much money you can make for your team. That means drawing fans by being in the media, winning games, getting them into the playoffs, increasing TV contracts, etc...

Cycling is free to watch. FDJ-Bigmat doesn't get a huge profit share from TV contracts or concession sales. If the ninth rider on their tour team went elsewhere, they could replace him with #10 and see little to no drop off in capability or revenue for their sponsors. 

The big names that draw fans and truly promote their sponsors by winning stages and donning colorful jerseys get paid well. Not necessarily NFL/NBA/MLB well, but based on the number of teams folding every year, the sponsors themselves aren't doing that great either. 

If the Cowboys go up for sale you will have people offering BILLIONS for the right to own that team. Pro Tour teams have trouble getting sponsors to pony up 1% as much. Why is that? It isn't as profitable of a sport, especially once you leave France, Italy, Belgium, etc.


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## NWS Alpine

B05 said:


> Lots of BBALL players aren't in shape and so does linemen in the NFL.


You have to be kidding about NFL linemen. Those guys are extremely strong and quick. In my best shape they would destroy me in a sprint while they tip the scales over 300lbs. There are a few that seem unfit but they are built for a single purpose.


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## Wookiebiker

NWS Alpine said:


> You have to be kidding about NFL linemen. Those guys are extremely strong and quick. In my best shape they would destroy me in a sprint while they tip the scales over 300lbs. There are a few that seem unfit but they are built for a single purpose.


Agreed...anybody that thinks an NFL lineman isn't in shape, knows nothing about the athletes that play football.

Just because somebody is fat, unlike rail thin cyclists, doesn't mean they are out of shape. 

Those guys are some of the most athletically gifted people in sports. Many run 330+ pounds, can run sub 5 second 40 times, can go hard for 3 hour games, can lift a house and are EXTREMELY agile for somebody their size (or half their size for that matter).

Look are not everything when it comes to athletes,...and NFL linemen are athletes...especially the DL's...those guys are "FREAKS" of nature.


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## PRB

Then there's this from Italian Cycling Journal.


> Under the new agreement, which raises wage minimums 10% and becomes effective in 2013, the minimum wage for will be 36,300 euro per year for professionals and 29,370 euro for neopros on Pro Tour teams. On Professional Continental Teams the minimum wage will be 30,250 and 25,300 euro. The new agreement also provides that wages will be discussed every two years to avoid remaining locked into place for many years as they have in the past.


 And for anyone who's been following the sport since the pre-Lance years, that link has a pic from this year that includes Bugno, Gimondi and Argentin.


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## PRB

Wookiebiker said:


> Those guys are some of the most athletically gifted people in sports. Many run 330+ pounds, can run sub 5 second 40 times, *can go hard for 3 hour games*, can lift a house and are EXTREMELY agile for somebody their size (or half their size for that matter).


 Of course that '3 hour game' only has about 12 minutes of actual playing time.


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## Wookiebiker

PRB said:


> Of course that '3 hour game' only has about 12 minutes of actual playing time.


So, if you think it's so easy...

Go out and do 20-30 second intervals, full on with 1 minute breaks for 3 hours...then get back to me on how easy it is. I'm sure you will have no problem pulling it off.

Also don't forget...they have another player pushing back against them...so put a 150 pound trailer on your bike for the intervals.

Nothing like 12 minutes at 1000+ watts on a bike.

Or maybe a full on 3 hour crit with a 30 minute break in the middle (no slacking though since it's 3 hours long). :thumbsup:


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## OldEndicottHiway

Aside from genetic freaks, these folks who eventually make it into the upper echelons of pro cycling racing (men _or_ women) must have or have had people behind them providing a "roof." 

It's not a poor man's sport. And unless you rise to the tippy top of a select few (like four people), the payoff isn't that great.

There's a reason boxing gyms, Bball courts and soccer clubs flourish in America's poorer cities, and not cycling clubs.


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## nacnac3

PRB said:


> Of course that '3 hour game' only has about 12 minutes of actual playing time.


Just a guess here but you've never played American Football have you?


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## quadrat

He doesn't have to. A 330 lbs guy isn't a long distance runner, that's sports 101. He'd be a fatality in a soccer match. And the soccer player with his 200 lbs at most would be in football. You do the sport your body is good for.


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## Addict07

The biggest difference is that the cycling teams themselves receive virtually no revenue, other than what they get from sponsors. This is unlike most major league sports where the teams pocket most of the TV rights fees, spectator admission ticket fees, food, drink, and parking concession profits.

Most of this money in pro cycling at the highest level ends up in the hands of major race promoters such as ASO. This model is also similarly used in motorsports racing, although there the higher popularity and paid admissions seems to ensure larger purses and more sponsorship dollars.


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## PRB

Wookiebiker said:


> So, if you think it's so easy...
> 
> Go out and do 20-30 second intervals, full on with 1 minute breaks for 3 hours...then get back to me on how easy it is. I'm sure you will have no problem pulling it off.
> 
> Also don't forget...they have another player pushing back against them...so put a 150 pound trailer on your bike for the intervals.
> 
> Nothing like 12 minutes at 1000+ watts on a bike.
> 
> Or maybe a full on 3 hour crit with a 30 minute break in the middle (no slacking though since it's 3 hours long). :thumbsup:


 I make a remark about the actual playing time and suddenly I've said that it's 'easy'? BTW, a 20-30 second play in football is very rare, they're more like 4-6 seconds on average.


nacnac3 said:


> Just a guess here but you've never played American Football have you?


Your guess was incorrect.

And I may be wrong on the playing time....this article says even less. Football Games Have 11 Minutes of Action - WSJ.com Figure roughly a 50% split between offense/defense (yes I know it varies in every game) and it becomes even less time for the individual players.


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## Cinelli 82220

There is a good article in Ride about pro cycling's business model.

Vaughters and a few others want a league similar to Formula 1, where teams share revenues from media broadcasts and merchandising. This would be entirely outside the realm of the UCI. A steady revenue flow would provide more security for riders and staff. And the annual grovelling by teams to secure sponsors is pathetic...look how sponsors can sign up for a multi-year contract and then change their mind and back out.
In the current system, even top ranked teams can suddenly go belly up, leaving staff and riders unpaid. GEOX is one. 

And there is hardly a level playing field either. A few teams have massive budgets, top equipment, and chefs, doctors, mechanics, vehicles galore. Others--most--have a couple of bikes per rider and a few over worked staff. Massively unequal competition is less interesting to watch.


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## animal74

Cinelli 82220 said:


> There is a good article in Ride about pro cycling's business model.
> 
> Vaughters and a few others want a league similar to Formula 1, where teams share revenues from media broadcasts and merchandising. This would be entirely outside the realm of the UCI. A steady revenue flow would provide more security for riders and staff. And the annual grovelling by teams to secure sponsors is pathetic...look how sponsors can sign up for a multi-year contract and then change their mind and back out.
> In the current system, even top ranked teams can suddenly go belly up, leaving staff and riders unpaid. GEOX is one.
> 
> And there is hardly a level playing field either. A few teams have massive budgets, top equipment, and chefs, doctors, mechanics, vehicles galore. Others--most--have a couple of bikes per rider and a few over worked staff. Massively unequal competition is less interesting to watch.


What you just described sounds just like formula 1, you have the big teams like Ferrari, McLaren ect with there own wind tunnels and a team of 100's, and then you have say team cos-worth that has maybe 100th the money of the big teams, They don't have a chance in hell of competing.


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## xjbaylor

animal74 said:


> What you just described sounds just like formula 1, you have the big teams like Ferrari, McLaren ect with there own wind tunnels and a team of 100's, and then you have say team cos-worth that has maybe 100th the money of the big teams, They don't have a chance in hell of competing.


The major difference is technology in cycling is both relatively affordable and very attainable. The big GC races are typically going to go to the big teams, but stages are often won by smaller teams. The difference between winners and losers in cycling is much less determined by technology than any motor sport. The reason the big teams get the wins is simply that they can afford to pay the best riders. They don't always win...just like the Yankees/Heat/Man U. etc. don't always win. 

In the end, it is still up to the athlete to perform. A comparison to Formula 1 from that angle is pretty tenuous.


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## Cinelli 82220

The bikes are all pretty much equal.

It's all the other stuff that matters. Sky have someone go to hotels with rider's preferred pillows and bedding. How many teams can afford that? Some teams have huge stocks of their own food for stage races, others can only eat what the hotel provides. Some teams have reps from Shimano setting up new bikes and helping the team mechanics, others have guys on holiday from their jobs at bike shops. Some teams have access to wind tunnels. And so on.


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## roddjbrown

Cinelli 82220 said:


> The bikes are all pretty much equal.
> 
> It's all the other stuff that matters. Sky have someone go to hotels with rider's preferred pillows and bedding. How many teams can afford that? Some teams have huge stocks of their own food for stage races, others can only eat what the hotel provides. Some teams have reps from Shimano setting up new bikes and helping the team mechanics, others have guys on holiday from their jobs at bike shops. Some teams have access to wind tunnels. And so on.


I agree with this, but there's little performance benefit. All I think this does is help attract the top riders. You don't hear many riders complaining about their mechanics...


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## LostViking

Whatever they are paid, I'm sure in most cases it is not enough, consider the following:
Strict diet, almost constant training, practically no time for family or other interests, the "whereabouts" system that forces you to report your every move to Big Brother, riding injured and in all sorts of weather often on roads not suited for cycling (nevertheless cycling at speed), constant suspicion that you are cheating and race organizers falling all over themselves to make the races more entertaining (read: brutal), no glory if you ride for others on your team - I don't think you can get paid too much.

How much is a Jens Voigt worth? Priceless.

Edit: Guess we'll find out soon, seems Jens is looking into a new team for 2013!

Voigt Puts Doubt Aside After Tour De France | Cyclingnews.com


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## davidalone

superhossenpheffer said:


> I was wondering how much pro cyclists make and found a good article on it here:
> 
> Bidon Pull - Cycling Notebook
> 
> Thought I would share.


I've read somewhere that the pay grade goes something like this:

cycling superstars ( ala contador, gilbert, cavendish )- 1-3 million a year.

'successful' riders (super domestiques, if you will) - e.g. big george, chavanel, jens voigt - between 200-500k

'normal' riders (domestiques), such as zaugg, monfort, etc.- 100k or less.

and of course it gets less down the tiers.

my bro in law is 26 and a pro conti rider. he's not on a full-time contract, so he gets an allowance of less than 15k a year. his team mates on a full time contract get more.


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## Doc_D

Do they pay for their own drugs out of their salary or is that a team expense?


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## spade2you

Doc_D said:


> Do they pay for their own drugs out of their salary or is that a team expense?


Probably, but I think they get discount online Ugg boots.


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## rayej68

Off topic:



PRB said:


> And I may be wrong on the playing time....this article says even less. Football Games Have 11 Minutes of Action - WSJ.com Figure roughly a 50% split between offense/defense (yes I know it varies in every game) and it becomes even less time for the individual players.


Similar to cycling: where 5 hour races come down to a mass sprit with less than 5 minutes of "action". Or a mountain stage where everyone paces over the first 5 climbs and races up the final. 

I love both football and cycling. The joy of watching is the suspense of the competition, not necessarily how action packed it is. 


On topic: 
I bet if you added up all the gear, equipment, and bikes the top level pros get it'll bump those salary numbers up a bit. Also food and lodging is paid for during the 8-10 months of organized racing and training per year.


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## T K

I've often wondered if they get to keep all of their race day earnings or do they keep a percentage or does that all go back to the team. You know stuff like KOMs or sprints or for finishes.
It seems right that the team would get a percentage.


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## davidka

rayej68 said:


> Off topic:
> 
> 
> 
> Similar to cycling: where 5 hour races come down to a mass sprit with less than 5 minutes of "action". Or a mountain stage where everyone paces over the first 5 climbs and races up the final.
> 
> I love both football and cycling. The joy of watching is the suspense of the competition, not necessarily how action packed it is.
> 
> 
> On topic:
> I bet if you added up all the gear, equipment, and bikes the top level pros get it'll bump those salary numbers up a bit. Also food and lodging is paid for during the 8-10 months of organized racing and training per year.


Riding for 5 hours in the peloton is in not similar to sitting on a bench waiting to play, especially over climbs where "tempo" is threshold for all but the top-50. It's hazards and position and coordinating eating the whole time. 

FWIW, NFL linemen have the hardest job on the field in terms of energy output. They play full gas every play and rarely trade out with alternates. They have to display the best endurance of any player on the field. 

The gear as compensation only applies when riders get to keep it. In European teams that is extremely rare from what I hear. Erik Zabel used to buy bikes he considered to be special at the end of the year. You'd think Pinarello would've gifted them to him for all the races he won for them. lol


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## den bakker

rayej68 said:


> Off topic:
> 
> 
> 
> Similar to cycling: where 5 hour races come down to a mass sprit with less than 5 minutes of "action". Or a mountain stage where everyone paces over the first 5 climbs and races up the final.
> 
> I love both football and cycling. The joy of watching is the suspense of the competition, not necessarily how action packed it is.
> 
> 
> On topic:
> I bet if you added up all the gear, equipment, and bikes the top level pros get it'll bump those salary numbers up a bit. Also food and lodging is paid for during the 8-10 months of organized racing and training per year.


it's fine their hotels are paid for but they still need a house for the family and when not on the road so I'm not sure why you want to add that to their salary? Same for bikes. Do you include the cement truck in the salary package for a construction worker?


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## RJP Diver

Q: "What's the difference between the average pro cyclist and a large pizza?"

A: "A large pizza can feed a family of four."


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## Cinelli 82220

davidka said:


> Erik Zabel used to buy bikes he considered to be special at the end of the year


Have you seen the apartment he has just for all his souvenirs? 
Cycle Sport had pics of it several years ago...he kept all his trophies, medals, even his shoes! And about a dozen very nice bikes, obviously. Team Telekom Green Jersey bike, wow.


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## Cinelli 82220

rayej68 said:


> a mountain stage where everyone paces over the first 5 climbs and races up the final


Race pace over a few mountains is far beyond anything non-racers can imagine. 
Go ride a stage and then compare your time up a climb to a pro. Their speed on the flats is impressive but it's the speed they go up hills that is truly awesome. 



> I bet if you added up all the gear, equipment, and bikes the top level pros get it'll bump those salary numbers up a bit. Also food and lodging is paid for during the 8-10 months of organized racing and training per year.


All that gear is worthless if it used up. Most teams keep the equipment and sell it off at the end of the year. Very rarely do the riders get to keep any of it. 
As for living out a suitcase and not seeing your family for months, been there, done that, and it sucks big time. A meal at home with your loved ones is infinitely better than any meal in a fancy restaurant with a bunch of co-workers.


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## rayej68

Cinelli 82220 said:


> Race pace over a few mountains is far beyond anything non-racers can imagine.
> Go ride a stage and then compare your time up a climb to a pro. Their speed on the flats is impressive but it's the speed they go up hills that is truly awesome.


You missed the point of the comparison. The fact that these really hard stages of 6+ hours of riding save the fireworks for the last 20 minute climb. This is similar to american football which is a 4+ hour event with less than 15 minutes of action as one person pointed out n


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## rayej68

Cinelli 82220 said:


> All that gear is worthless if it used up. Most teams keep the equipment and sell it off at the end of the year. Very rarely do the riders get to keep any of it.
> As for living out a suitcase and not seeing your family for months, been there, done that, and it sucks big time. A meal at home with your loved ones is infinitely better than any meal in a fancy restaurant with a bunch of co-workers.


The point is there is more to compensation to salary. Most jobs that require travel for extended periods have compensation and covered expenses. 

All I'm saying is that these traveling pro cyclists have perks other than pure salary. 


You had that type of job and find more satisfaction with other things. That's great. It's not for everyone but its something pro cyclists do. And it affects their pay. 

If a team didn't have a cook and doctor and mechanic on staff I'm sure the riders would be paid more but also have to cover more expenses.


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## Undecided

Even if that has some validity in regard to _watching_stages of a stage race (and I think it's not a good comparison even then) vs. watching American football, that's not how a one-day race works. In neither case is it a good way to compare _playing_ football to racing.


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## austincrx

I know a few guys around where I live that are on the lower Pro teams, teams such as, but not necessarily the ones I'm talking about are Mountain Khakis pro cycling team, Kenda Pro cycling team, Hincapie Sportswear/BMC Devo team, etc. Teams on that level. And I know the 'work horses' for those teams aren't making more than 10 grand, and most are making much less. But remember that most are under 25 yrs. old, have some roommates, live close to their team's headquarters, and may even have a part time job that allows them to ride as much as they need to.

Just the very small amount of info. I know. They also get extra money from winnings and prize money.


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## atpjunkie

B05 said:


> not enough.
> 
> there are lots of sports out there where the unfit still get paid a ton. Baseball? "Hide" them at the first base. Lots of BBALL players aren't in shape and so does linemen in the NFL.


you'd be shocked at how fit NFL linemen are. They add those guts like Sumo's do to make them harder to move. My friend trained former Cowboy great Larry Allen and those guys are more fit than you can ever imagine. Here's 325 lb Allen running down a linebacker


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## atpjunkie

T K said:


> I've often wondered if they get to keep all of their race day earnings or do they keep a percentage or does that all go back to the team. You know stuff like KOMs or sprints or for finishes.
> It seems right that the team would get a percentage.


typically it is split amongst the team. Riders who win GTs don't keep any of the prize $ typically. It gets split amongst the Doms, mechanics, Soigniers, etc...


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## Cinelli 82220

atpjunkie said:


> you'd be shocked at how fit NFL linemen are


Youtube has lots of vids showing these guys' workouts, and they are really impressive.

When considering how much "work" a player does, you can't just say he works for five minutes a game. They work full time in the gym, really hard, as well as many hours of practise.


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## Captain Subtext

Not sure why we're comparing NFL salaries to pro cyclist salaries. NFL players "deserve" to be paid more because the market is willing to pay them more. End of story. 

I'm not going to cry for cyclists. At the end of the day, even for the lower end domestiques, making 50k a year as well as expenses paid to travel around the world to race bikes is a pretty decent way to spend your twenties.


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## c.rod

Captain Subtext said:


> Not sure why we're comparing NFL salaries to pro cyclist salaries. NFL players "deserve" to be paid more because the market is willing to pay them more. End of story.
> 
> I'm not going to cry for cyclists. At the end of the day, even for the lower end domestiques, making 50k a year as well as expenses paid to travel around the world to race bikes is a pretty decent way to spend your twenties.


just setting yourself up for a lifetime of dissapointment..... lol. i would love to see where 95% of these guys end up when they are done racing.


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## Ridin'Sorra

c.rod said:


> just setting yourself up for a lifetime of dissapointment..... lol. i would love to see where 95% of these guys end up when they are done racing.


Same place as most ex pro-boxers, just without the brain damage.

Let's face it, there's only a limited amount of athletes (I'd rather say, sports) that get paid buckets of money and for every success story, there are thousands of pitiful ones.

It's only a handful of sports that get all the money. Football, American Football, Baseball, F1, Golf, etc.

The whole rest of sports just get the spoils.


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## Wookiebiker

Ridin'Sorra said:


> It's only a handful of sports that get all the money. Football, American Football, Baseball, F1, Golf, etc.


Even that is a bit of a fallacy ... aside from maybe F1 (due to the limited number of drivers) and maybe Basketball.

The top guys in the other sports make "A Lot" of money ... but once you go down a tier or two, the money isn't great when you consider having to pay agents, union dues, insurance, taxes (even if you live in a state without income tax, you have to pay taxes in the states you play in for the games you play or are there for).

Think about the guys on a Pro team's practice squad ... they make about 5k a week to be on the squad, but still have to pay an agent, union dues, insurance, etc. and also have to pay for a rental car (who knows how long they will be there), apartment, etc. and in the end make "Squat" for money ... likely come out much worse than a domestique for a Pro Cycling squad.

Top guys in all sports make a lot of money (easily in the millions for just about every sport that gets air time) ... but once you get away from them, the level of money them make drops dramatically.


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## Ridin'Sorra

Wookiebiker said:


> Even that is a bit of a fallacy ... aside from maybe F1 (due to the limited number of drivers) and maybe Basketball.


In that case, not even F1. Drivers at teams like Marussia, Caterham, HRT, etc. mostly pay for the race seat.

I guess I meant that only a handful of sports can afford those mega-salaries we think off when thinking becoming rich out of being a professional athlete.

Only a handful or riders can aspire to being paid millions. None can aspire to make the same money as Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi for the money they earn as their salary.

Of course, there are sponsorships and such that take earnings to another level. Probably Lance made more money out of sponsorhip than his salary at whatever team, but I do not know the numbers.


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## skitorski

B05 said:


> not enough.
> 
> there are lots of sports out there where the unfit still get paid a ton. Baseball? "Hide" them at the first base. Lots of BBALL players aren't in shape and so does linemen in the NFL.


Don't go there.

Here's Albert. From his milk advertisement. Do you want to meet him in person and call him out of shape ? Ya wanna see Jason Giambi at age 40 ??


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## Wookiebiker

skitorski said:


> Don't go there.
> 
> Here's Albert. From his milk advertisement. Do you want to meet him in person and call him out of shape ? Ya wanna see Jason Giambi at age 40 ??


I'd actually agree with "B05" ... Baseball is likely the worst sport when it comes to in shape players. Sure, the majority are in good shape and take care of themselves ... but there are some guys at the top level that I imagine have a hard time running to 2nd base if they have to. It's quite sad looking for a pro athlete actually...


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## Matr1x

They make small money compared to alot of other sports. However, think of some of the endorsement deals they have.

Base pay (example from team)- 250,000 USD
Nike endorsement(example)- 1m USD
Fast food endorsement (example)- 1.5m USD

I can go on, it comes down to how well they can be marketed. Recall Lance had helmets, sunglasses, beer, energy bars, clothing and more. And estimated made about 20mil a year. 

If you break down my examples. 1.5+1+250,000= 2.75mil USD
Not chump change at by any stretch. But if they arent marketable or big stars...they wont make much at all.


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## c.rod

marketing and endorsement money is where its at. usually in any big sport. they make more off of that than the salary. remember when lebron had some $90m deal with nike ?
i dont think it was that long of a contract either...


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## Wookiebiker

c.rod said:


> marketing and endorsement money is where its at. usually in any big sport. they make more off of that than the salary. remember when lebron had some $90m deal with nike ?
> i dont think it was that long of a contract either...



Unless you are top 10 in your sport ... endorsements are usually pretty minimal: A free loaner car from a local dealer, maybe a $250k deal for a national ad campaign, etc.

The top guys can double and beyond their salary from endorsements ... Lance was making something around $15 million a year in endorsements, Tiger Woods made $25 million per year (4 year deal) from Nike and had multiple other contracts (was pulling in nearly 100 million a year from endorsements and about 10 million a year from wins).

A lot also depends on the sport you are in. Pro football players don't make nearly as much as Pro basketball players, most place this on the fact that football players wear helmets most of the time so they don't get as much facial recognition as other sports. A couple years ago Payton Manning was the highest endorsement Football Player and it was somewhere in the $2 million a year range ... Basketball and Golf seem to be where the big money is at for endorsements.

Here is a list to the Top 50 earners in sports with their pay breakdown

Funny about Tom Bradey: _Anyway, Mr. Gisele Bundchen made $23.1M throwing the pigskin last year, plus another $4M in endorsements. But if that doesn’t sound like much, don’t you worry. His wife pulled in a whopping $45M. That’s a household income of $72.1M._

As you will see ... Football players don't make much in endorsements with Eli and Peyton Manning are the only ones pulling in descent money from endorsements at over $4 million per year ... many of them make less than $1 million a year, some as little as $100k a year.

Oh yea ... Not a lot of Cyclists on the list :thumbsup:


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## MattSoutherden

NFL linemen may be impressively strong, explosive, and agile. But that should be tempered by pointing out that Danilo Di Luca has been impressively explosive these last few weeks.


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