The NFL makes almost THREE times more than the Premier League. But, surprise: the average NFL player earns LESS than a Premier League player. How does a richer league pay less? The answer is in a detail almost nobody thinks about. We compared the two worlds across 7 rounds. #1 explains the paradox.
Two of the most lucrative sports in the world, two completely different models for paying their athletes. On one side, the NFL, the richest league on the planet. On the other, the Premier League, the richest soccer competition in the world. Which one pays its players better?
The answer is surprising and counterintuitive: the NFL makes almost three times more than the Premier League — but its average player earns less. How is that possible? How does a much richer league pay, on average, less per player?
The explanation is in a detail almost nobody considers. We compared the two worlds across 7 rounds, from #7 to #1. And #1 settles the paradox once and for all.
#7 — League revenue: the NFL dominates
Let's start with the size of the pie. The NFL is the highest-revenue league in the world, generating more than $20 billion a year. The Premier League, though it's the richest soccer competition, sits at about $7.2 billion — nearly a third.
In other words, in total money, it's not even a contest: the NFL is a financial machine without equal in sport. Which makes the rest of this comparison so surprising — because more revenue, as you'll see, doesn't mean a bigger salary per player.
The next round is the average salary — and here comes the surprise. 👇
#6 — The average salary: the Premier League wins (slightly)
Here's the first surprise. Despite making far less, the Premier League pays, on average, more per player: about $4.1 million a year, against about $3.9 million for the NFL.
How does the "poor" league pay more than the "rich" one? The answer comes at #1, but here's a clue: it has to do with how many people split the pie. On a per-player average, English soccer beats American football — something that shocks anyone who only looks at total revenue.
The next round is the top of the pyramid — the super-salaries.
#5 — The NFL top: the $50 million quarterbacks
At the top, the NFL has impressive numbers. The quarterbacks (the most valuable position) lead: eight of them already earn more than $50 million a year. Patrick Mahomes, the biggest star, has a contract worth $450 million over 10 years.
Even elite non-quarterbacks, like defenders Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett, reach about $40 million a year — the biggest salaries in history for the position. At the absolute top, the NFL pays very well. But the distribution is what changes everything.