Check Out Which Boston Athletes Made Forbes' List Of World's Richest Athletes
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Everybody grows up hoping to one day be a famous athlete. Everybody also grows up hoping to one day be very rich.
Yet only a select few end up accomplishing even one of those goals, and even fewer end up really accomplishing both.
Forbes gave us a look at exactly which athletes are making the most money. And to nobody's surprise, the city of Boston employs a number of them. Yet given all the success of the local sports teams, the total number of Boston athletes may be surprising.
Here's a look at which Boston athletes made the list of the top 100 richest athletes, based on their earnings over the past 12 months. Some names are to be expected, while there's at least one local athlete who's not on the list.
No. 29: Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics, total earnings of $36.1 million
No. 46: Gordon Hayward, Boston Celtics, total earnings of $30.8 million
No. 47: David Price, Boston Red Sox, total earnings of $30.7 million
No. 51: Al Horford, Boston Celtics, total earnings of $29.8 million
Obviously, the one name not on the top 100 who likely would have been expected to be on the list is Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. That's largely due to the unique contract language of Brady, who earned just $1 million in base salary for the 2017 season. Brady was No. 15 on Forbes' list back in 2016, after he signed the new deal that included a $28 million signing bonus.
Brady's made plenty of money in his career, and his wife has made even more. Still, one can't help but notice that the top 100 richest athletes in 2018 includes 10 quarterbacks -- eight of whom have never won a single Super Bowl.
Fear not, though. You needn't yet hold a bake sale or car wash for the Patriots' QB. He's due to make $14 million in base salary this season, with a $1 million roster bonus. So even without a new contract, the QB will be back on the rich list sooner than later.
The lack of multiple Boston Red Sox on the list shows how the team's best players are still young and have yet to cash in with big-time deals. Mookie Betts won't be a free agent until 2021, while Xander Bogaerts won't hit free agency until 2020. MVP front-runner J.D. Martinez makes a pretty penny with his salary ($23.75 million annually), but doesn't cash in with much endorsement money.
The lack of Patriots on the list shows that the team often doesn't end up paying some of the larger contract in the NFL, a league which has a salary cap. That excludes Brady, of course, who's made the list in the past. But this year's list does include two former Patriots -- quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo at No. 28 and tackle Nate Solder at No. 92. Garoppolo signed a massive deal with the 49ers after the Patriots traded him to San Francisco, while Solder signed with the New York Giants on a contract which made him the richest lineman in the league.
Former Boston College quarterback and current Atlanta Falcon Matt Ryan made the list in the top 10, as he just signed a $30 million per year contract.
The lack of Bruins, of course, is indicative of the sport of hockey. The NHL maintained a $75 million salary cap last season. The NFL's sat at $177 million, the NBA's was $99 million, while MLB does not have a salary cap. No NHL players or NASCAR drivers made the list.
Notably, no women made the list.
Here's a look at the top 10 overall:
1. Floyd Mayweather, boxer, total earnings of $285 million
2. Lionel Messi, soccer, total earnings of $111 million
3. Cristiano Ronaldo, soccer, total earnings of $108 million
4. Conor McGregor, MMA/boxing, total earnings of $99 million
5. Neymar, soccer, total earnings of $90 million
6. LeBron James, NBA, total earnings of $85.5 million
7. Roger Federer, tennis, total earnings of $77.2 million
8. Stephen Curry, NBA, total earnings of $76.9 million
9. Matt Ryan, NFL, total earnings of $67.3 million
10. Matthew Stafford, NFL, total earnings of $59.5 million
Some popular athletes from 10-20 include Kevin Durant ($57.3 million), Russell Westbrook ($47.6 million), James Harden ($46.4 million), Tiger Woods ($43.3 million), Drew Brees ($42.9 million) and Rafael Nadal ($41.4 million).
