00:00Today on Forbes, the money for female sports stars is increasing on and off the field,
00:05but even for Coco Gauff, Simone Biles, and Caitlin Clark, it's not enough to rank among
00:10the elite earners of the world's 50 highest paid athletes. Coco Gauff's estimated total of $34.4
00:17million last year represents one of the best financial stretches for a female athlete ever
00:23measured by Forbes, which has tracked athlete earnings since 1990. In 2024, the 21-year-old
00:30American tennis phenom bested her previous prize money high by collecting $9.4 million and boosting
00:37her earnings off the court to $25 million with 11 sponsors. Yet, Gauff does not rank among the
00:44world's 50 highest paid athletes. In fact, she doesn't even come close. Her 2024 total would
00:50leave her $19.2 million short of the threshold for inclusion in the ranking. And it's only getting
00:56harder to qualify for the highest earners list. The cutoff for 2025's top 50 is $53.6 million,
01:03a 19% increase over the $45.2 million required to make the list last year. For the second consecutive
01:10year, no woman lands among the world's 50 highest paid athletes. Serena Williams was the last to do
01:16it in 2023. Only three other female athletes have qualified for the top 50 since 2012. Tennis stars
01:23Lina and Maria Sharapova, both of whom are retired, and Naomi Osaka. No woman landed on the list from
01:302017 to 2019. The absence largely comes down to salaries and prize money, which are tied to league
01:37revenue, with media rights fees playing arguably the most crucial role. Still, elite women's sports are
01:43showing promising financial growth each year. Deloitte estimates that women's sports will
01:48collectively reach $2.35 billion in global revenue this year, a notable increase over 2024's $1.88
01:55billion in 2023's $981 million. Commercial revenue, which includes team and league sponsorships,
02:03is expected to account for 54% of that figure, demonstrating that brands are showing more
02:08interest in engaging with women's sports. Marketers are also engaging with athletes directly,
02:14seeing a much clearer advantage with female athlete endorsements than in years past.
02:18Freestyle skier Eileen Gu earned an estimated $22 million off the slopes in 2024, while gymnast
02:25Simone Biles collected $11 million, and WNBA star Kaitlyn Clark pulled an $8 million off the court.
02:32Meanwhile, New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, whose Nike signature shoe has grown extremely popular
02:38among NBA players, earned an estimated $6 million from her endorsements in business endeavors,
02:43a mark that equalled or surpassed the off-field earnings of 18 members of the world's 50 highest
02:50paid athletes list for 2025. As far as total earnings, the top-earning female athletes are
02:56maintaining their momentum. The median of the top 20 women increased to $10.7 million in 2024
03:02from $8.5 million a year earlier, and with 17 members of that group under age 30, their best years could
03:10still be ahead of them.
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