Naomi Osaka leads the top ten with $57 million, but the presence of a gymnast and a WNBA player shows sponsors are starting to cast a wider net.
, who joined the U.S. national team in 2005 alongside women who had fought for basics like guaranteed compensation and health benefits. “Whether it’s a [social media] post players are making to get paid or whether they’re signing endorsement deals, it’s a good space to come into, and it obviously occurred because of all the former players that had come prior.”Off-The-Field Earnings: $55 million
Were it not for Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams would claim the earnings record for a female athlete with her $45.9 million from 2021. The 40-year-old played in only six WTA Tour tournaments and plummeted to 41st in the women’s rankings—her worst mark since she returned to tennis in 2018 after the birth of her daughter—but she remains a big draw for advertisers, partnering with brands like Nike, Gatorade and, most recently, DirecTV.
The Tokyo Olympics did not go as Simone Biles planned: She withdrew from five events before returning to win bronze on the balance beam. Still, the 24-year-old had already secured her status as a gymnastics legend, and her story of resilience seemed to resonate with brands. She partnered with Autograph to release NFTs starting in August and joined mental-health startup Cerebral as “chief impact officer” in October.
After nearly two straight years at No. 1, Jin Young Ko lost the top spot in the women’s golf rankings to Nelly Korda, but she picked up a pretty good consolation prize with a win in the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in November, claiming $1.5 million and LPGA Player of the Year honors.