Norwegian track sensation Jakob Ingebrigtsen saw a big boost in his salary for 2023, with his income more than doubling to reach $2.3 million. This figure reflects Ingebrigtsen’s achievements on the track in 2023, where he won gold at the World Championships in the 5000m and a silver in the 1500m, while also clocking world-leading times in multiple events, including a new world record in the 2-mile.
While $2.3 million is a milestone for a track athlete, the figure pales in comparison to the astronomical salaries in other professional sports. A deep dive into this difference reveals a stark pay gap between track and field athletes and other elite sports stars.
The Pay Gap: Track & Field vs. Other Sports
Ingebrigtsen’s $2.3 million income, while substantial within track and field, is relatively modest compared to top athletes in sports like basketball, football, and soccer. For example:
- Basketball: NBA superstar LeBron James earns over $50 million annually in salary alone, not including endorsements. Top NBA players routinely make upwards of $30 million annually.
- Soccer: International soccer icons like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have annual earnings that surpass $100 million, thanks to a combination of club salaries and lucrative sponsorship deals.
- Football: NFL quarterbacks, such as Patrick Mahomes, can make over $40 million annually in contract earnings, not accounting for endorsements.
- Tennis: Even tennis, which is an individual sport like track, sees players like Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams making over $30 million a year from prize money and endorsements.
Compared to these figures, Ingebrigtsen’s $2.3 million – a record year for the runner – highlights the gap in financial rewards between track athletes and their counterparts in other sports. Even among fellow track stars, Ingebrigtsen’s earnings are relatively high. His fellow Norwegian Karsten Warholm, the 400m hurdles world record holder, made approximately $1.4 million in 2023, showing that even the sport’s elite are earning at levels significantly lower than top athletes in other fields.
Why the Pay Gap Exists: Structural Differences in Sports
There are several reasons for the stark contrast in earnings between track and field athletes and other sports stars:
- Limited Revenue Generation: Unlike sports like basketball or football, track and field does not draw consistent, high-paying audiences or sell large numbers of tickets. Major track events are generally isolated to championships, with few regular-season meets that attract substantial crowds. This is quite the opposite of team sports, where arenas and stadiums are filled weekly, providing a continuous revenue stream for leagues and teams.
- Minimal Broadcast Revenue: Sports like the NBA, NFL, and international soccer leagues generate billions of dollars from broadcast rights. These sports attract consistent, loyal audiences, making them highly lucrative for TV networks. In contrast, track and field events are broadcast less frequently and often attract smaller viewership. As a result, track does not benefit from the large broadcast deals that drive salaries in other sports.
- Limited Sponsorships and Endorsements: Top athletes in track and field do receive endorsements, especially from major athletic brands like Nike and Adidas. However, these deals are generally much smaller compared to the sponsorships in mainstream sports. Leagues like the NBA and NFL attract a wide range of sponsors from tech companies to banks and even car brands, as their players are used as global ambassadors for multiple products. In track, athletes are typically limited to endorsements within sportswear or fitness brands, offering fewer and often less lucrative opportunities.
- Global Popularity: Sports like soccer, basketball, and even tennis have immense global followings, which enhances players’ marketability and drives higher salaries and endorsements. Track and field, while popular during major events like the Olympics, lacks the sustained international fan base that keeps the sport consistently in the limelight.
- Event-Driven Interest: Track and field enjoys a surge in popularity during events like the Olympics or World Championships, but this interest is often short-lived. Between these events, the sport has a lower profile, which makes it challenging to attract and sustain major sponsorship deals or media attention.
Bridging the Gap
Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s $2.3 million earnings for 2023, while impressive, highlight the relative disparity in compensation for track athletes, even those performing at the highest level. Track and field lacks the consistent revenue streams, fan base, and commercial appeal that fuel earnings in mainstream sports.
While Ingebrigtsen’s impressive season reflects some growth in earning potential for elite runners, bridging the gap with sports like basketball or soccer will require track and field to find new ways to engage fans year-round, secure more lucrative sponsorships, and perhaps even reimagine its structure to make the sport more financially viable for its athletes.
