Interesting data and graphics show how the “big four” North American professional sports leagues — the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL — all make their money.
Thanks to billion-dollar television contracts and other factors such as increased fan interest and ticket and merchandise sales, the big four pro sports leagues generate billions of dollars annually.
Citing data shared by Sportico in February, the @Brooks_Gate X/Twitter account shared a pie graph that details how the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL all make their money.
The NFL was the king of the big four sports leagues last year, raking in $18.7 billion. 66 percent of that alone came from national TV and media, with 17 percent coming from ticket sales.
On the flip side, the top source of income for Major League Baseball and their $10.9 billion revenue last year was ticket sales (31 percent), compared to only 26 percent for national TV and media.
Like the NFL, the NBA relied on national television and media (41 percent) as their main source of revenue last year (the league made $10.9 billion), with 26 percent of that money in ticket sales.
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Unlike the other big four leagues, however, close to 50 percent of the NHL’s revenue comes through ticket sales. 44 percent of the league’s $6.8 billion revenue for 2023 came from ticket sales, with national TV and media only making up 19 percent.
Interestingly, the NHL also depends more on team sponsors and concessions/parking more than the other leagues.
Big Four Sports Leagues Will Keep Making More Dough
Factors such as social media, cell phones, the internet, live-streaming services and YouTube have helped every sports league across the world grow their products.
The NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL are making billions of dollars annually, and yet they will only keep raking in more cash in the coming years. Simply put, the sky’s the limit for how much money each league can generate over the long run.
