Shohei Ohtani, 29, has signed a 10-year, $700 million ($921.3 million) contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball.
The $700 million is not split over the 10 years of the contract (2024-2033).
It’s a deferred payment arrangement where he’ll receive $20 million ($26.3 billion) for the first 10 years and the remaining $680 million ($89.5 billion) over 10 years, from 2034 to 2043, like an annuity.
The Dodgers avoided the salary cap balancing act (luxury tax) right away, and Ohtani saved money because he’ll be taxed based on his residency in 10 years.
This is the kind of deal Ohtani wanted.
Ohtani’s 10 years in a Dodger uniform will average $2 million ($2.632 billion).
The salary seems like pocket change when you consider the $35 million to $50 million ($46 billion to $65.8 billion) in annual sponsorship and advertising revenue he earns in Japan, the U.S., and elsewhere.
In fact, Ohtani isn’t the highest paid athlete in the world.
Compared to soccer players like Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nasr), and LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), he earns less.
Messi, who plays for Inter Miami in the Major League Soccer (MLS), is expected to earn up to $150 million ($74.4 billion) over the next two and a half years until 2025.
Including all of his salary, bonuses, and sponsorships, Messi’s total earnings will exceed $1.6 billion ($215.9 billion) in 2025, according to U.S. sports website Sportico.
Messi earned more than $100 million a year in salary and bonuses at FC Barcelona, and his pre-tax salary at Paris Saint-Germain was reportedly as high as $70 million. 카지노
Messi’s earnings are likely to increase in the coming years, given that the Saudi Arabian league offered him $400 million per year in salary and bonuses before he moved to the United States.
Messi launched an investment firm called Playtime last October.
Ronaldo, who once rivaled Messi as the world’s best, earned $136 million from May 2022 to April 2023, making him the highest-earning athlete of that period (Forbes estimates).
With a whopping 610 million followers on Instagram, Ronaldo is one of the most attractive athletes for advertising.
He earned $90 million in ad revenue alone during the period.
By 2022, Ronaldo will have earned a total of $1.58 billion ($279.3 billion).
James’ earnings in the National Basketball Association (NBA) are equally impressive.
James earned $47.6 million ($62.7 billion) in salary for the 2023-2024 season, plus another $80 million ($10.53 billion) from endorsements.
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