Reaching the pinnacle of the pro leagues is the ultimate dream of every sporting sensation in the country. And it doesn’t get much bigger for football players than the National Football League. Getting picked in the NFL Draft and making it to one of the 32 franchise’s active rosters is what keeps the athletes going right from their high school and collegiate careers. Touching a Vince Lombardi trophy at some point is just the cherry on top. However, when it comes to career earnings, NFL players don’t even come close to their NBA and MLB counterparts.

It’s common knowledge across the American sporting multiverse that the NFL shines the spotlight more on their quarterbacks and star players than the rest of the 53 active roster members. However, it has gone to a point where the financials are skewed against these players in an alarming manner. And there are a few reasons why NFL players don’t earn as much as NBA athletes.

The NFL has the lowest average player salary despite boasting the biggest valuation

When it comes to global sporting leagues, the National Football League is the richest in the world, followed by the MLB, the NBA, and the Indian Premier League cricket extravaganza. The NFL is worth a whopping $142.87 billion, combining the values of all 32 franchises. The league also leads every other global sporting league in their annual revenue, with the NFL racking up nearly $18 billion in 2022. However, the players aren’t getting a fraction of that whopping wealth as the NFL’s average player salary ranks third in the US, behind the NBA and the MLB.

With an average salary of $3.26 million, the NFL players are a long way behind the $8.32 million average NBA salary and the $4.03 million MLB average. Former MLB pitcher and co-founder of JL Strategic Wealth, Jacob Turner lists some key factors behind this massive discrepancy.

Despite raking in more than $8 billion in revenue than the NBA, the NFL average salaries are significantly lower because of the massive roster sizes. An NBA franchise can house 15 players on its active roster, compared to the 53 players in every NFL roster. “More mouths to feed means less for everyone at the table,” Turner put it bluntly.

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What is the CBA and why is the NFL bad at it?

The collective bargaining agreement is “the governing document between the owners of the National Football League and the labor union of the NFL Players Association.” Well, the NFL could learn a thing or two from the MLB. Jacob Turner described the MLB Players Union as “The King” among its rival sporting leagues.

“They have locked out, have a united front. And they have strong financial footing. The result? No salary cap. Fully guaranteed contracts,” Turner explained.

The NFL rakes in most of its income from its broadcasting partners, including ESPN, Fox, ABC, CBS, and Amazon Prime. However, the distribution of wealth brings the average contract number to an embarrassingly low number. Whether the NFLPA imbibes some of the MLB Players Union’s stronghold in the future remains to be seen. Till then, it’s just the quarterbacks and veteran superstars who can enjoy the true benefits of playing in the highest echelon of football in the country.

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