How much do pro athletes for big sports make out of college?

I'm trying to get an idea of the opportunity costs I gave up when I went into finance, since I played football in college and probably could've went to the NFL if I tried.

How much does the average person who breaks into the NBA/NFL/MLB/NHL make? How much of that are bonuses and are bonuses deferred? Does comp go parabolic like in certain finance roles? Finally, what does lifetime earnings look like? 
 

I'm guessing starting comp is around 500k-1.5mm for a normal shitter in the 4 major leagues, assuming we're discounting the outliers like first pick superstars. Comp pretty much stagnates your whole career from what I've heard unless you lateral to a better/bigger group for a large signing bonus/better total comp. You can make some side money with sponsors and other media/advertising deals, but that's for the cream of the crop. Lifetime earnings is probably 1.25mm on average annually over 15 years, after tax would be in the ballpark of 12-14mm. 

15 Comments
 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

NFL minimum salary is $660,000.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Dude seriously?  This is published information.  Rookie contracts are set by draft order.  Also the average NFL career is like 4 years.

 

What? I can't believe most athletes can only hold a job for 4 years, but than again, that's what I've come to expect from African-Americans, who comprise the majority of athletes.

 

If becoming a pro athlete is comparable to breaking into IBD/PE than I probably could've, if I allocated all my recruiting and academic efforts to athletics.

 

Was a gifted t ball player myself but decided to focus more on social studies

 

Animi unde eos sit reiciendis sed dicta hic. Rerum repellat dolorem vero. Quia sequi veniam rem nesciunt vero iste unde. Accusamus ratione eveniet ut provident necessitatibus enim.

Dolores aliquid corporis temporibus aut adipisci nulla non. Cumque et distinctio quia blanditiis officia. In ipsam amet non temporibus dignissimos quia.

Dolor veniam iusto accusamus aut accusamus ad. Expedita consectetur velit magnam amet dolores culpa dignissimos illum. Accusantium eos aperiam eum. Consequatur omnis dolores id dolores minus ut et. Sit aperiam officiis aut aliquid laudantium nisi. Debitis nemo ab beatae velit dolores.

Quos in est sequi itaque necessitatibus. Quasi rerum debitis asperiores iste delectus. Et et nihil nostrum iusto necessitatibus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”