SHUTOUT OF WOMEN ATHLETES ON WEALTH LIST
There are no women on Forbes’ breakdown of the highest-paid athletes of the past year. Serena Williams (left), who took an eight-month break from tennis in April to have her daughter, Alexis Ohanian, earned $18 million in sponsorship deals, but that hefty payday wasn’t enough to push her into the top 100. Williams was on the previous year’s list. Nicolas Batum, a guard for the Charlotte Hornets, was the 100th name on the rundown with a $22.9 million salary.
Forbes confirmed to the Daily News that Williams was the top-paid woman in sports, but couldn’t pinpoint where she’d rank if the list were longer.
The magazine determines athletes’ earnings by adding salaries, all prize money from tournaments, bonuses and endorsements. Forbes acknowledged the list had “long been testosterone-heavy,” but said there had been at least one to three women featured since 2010. Maria Sharapova’s drug suspension last year excluded her from consideration, Forbes said.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. was the highest earner for 2018. The retired boxer pulled in an estimated $285 million.