Sports fans have had a tough go of it over the last few months. Not only have they been trapped at home, but they have been trapped at home with no sports. Every major league has either canceled or shortened their seasons — aside from the NFL — and for most pro athletes, that means smaller paychecks.
See: 13 Ways To Support Sports Teams Without Attending a Game
The pros don’t get paid by the hour, but if they did, what exactly would that look like? In this study, GOBankingRates took the highest-paid athletes across the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB and broke their salaries down by the money they earn per hour of game time. Additional calculations were made to determine how much each athlete earns per hour of an entire year and per hour of total broadcast for a game. All figures were prorated to account for the shortened seasons.
Find Out: How Rich are Michael Jordan, Alex Rodriguez And 13 More Incredibly Wealthy Retired Athletes?
NBA and NFL players dominate the day. Not a single hockey player made the list, and only two MLB players squeaked in. One glaring omission is the NFL’s Patrick Mahomes; the quarterback’s recently signed $503 million mega-contract doesn’t start until next year, which caused him to miss the cut here.
Keep reading to learn about the athletes who earn the most money per hour.
Last updated: April 16, 2021
50. Giancarlo Stanton
- Player info:
- League: MLB
- 2019-2020 team: New York Yankees
- Position: DH/OF
- 2019-2020 payroll salary: $26,000,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 18
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $468,469
- Per hour for a year: $2,968
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $385,185
Read: The Highest-Paid Player on Every NFL, MLB and NBA Team
49. Andre Drummond
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Cleveland Cavaliers
- Position: C
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $22,156,123
- Games played in 2019-2020: 57
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $485,880
- Per hour for a year: $2,529
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $175,355
48. Tobias Harris
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Philadelphia 76ers
- Position: PF
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $25,954,583
- Games played in 2019-2020: 65
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $499,127
- Per hour for a year: $2,963
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $180,136
47. Andrew Wiggins
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Golden State Warriors
- Position: SF
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $21,802,920
- Games played in 2019-2020: 54
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $504,697
- Per hour for a year: $2,489
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $182,146
46. Damian Lillard
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Portland Trail Blazers
- Position: PG
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $23,624,300
- Games played in 2019-2020: 58
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $509,144
- Per hour for a year: $2,697
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $183,751
45. Kevin Love
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Cleveland Cavaliers
- Position: PF
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $22,942,981
- Games played in 2019-2020: 56
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $512,120
- Per hour for a year: $2,619
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $184,825
44. Nikola Vučević
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Orlando Magic
- Position: C
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $22,195,600
- Games played in 2019-2020: 54
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $513,787
- Per hour for a year: $2,534
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $185,427
43. Khris Middleton
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Milwaukee Bucks
- Position: SF
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $24,259,353
- Games played in 2019-2020: 55
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $551,349
- Per hour for a year: $2,769
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $198,983
42. Jimmy Butler
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Miami Heat
- Position: SF
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $25,954,583
- Games played in 2019-2020: 54
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $600,801
- Per hour for a year: $2,963
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $216,830
41. Felix Hernandez
- Player info:
- League: MLB
- 2019-2020 team: Seattle Mariners
- Position: SP
- 2019-2020 payroll salary: $27,857,142
- Games played in 2019-2020: 15
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $602,317
- Per hour for a year: $3,180
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $495,238
40. Chris Paul
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Oklahoma City Thunder
- Position: PG
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $30,524,088
- Games played in 2019-2020: 63
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $605,637
- Per hour for a year: $3,484
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $218,576
39. LeBron James
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Los Angeles Lakers
- Position: PG
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $29,676,197
- Games played in 2019-2020: 60
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $618,254
- Per hour for a year: $3,388
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $223,129
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38. Joel Embiid
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Philadelphia 76ers
- Position: C
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $21,802,920
- Games played in 2019-2020: 44
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $619,401
- Per hour for a year: $2,489
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $223,543
37. James Harden
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Houston Rockets
- Position: SG
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $30,280,347
- Games played in 2019-2020: 61
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $620,499
- Per hour for a year: $3,457
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $223,939
36. Kawhi Leonard
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Los Angeles Clippers
- Position: SF
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $25,954,583
- Games played in 2019-2020: 51
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $636,142
- Per hour for a year: $2,963
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $229,585
35. Kemba Walker
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Boston Celtics
- Position: PG
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $25,954,583
- Games played in 2019-2020: 50
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $648,865
- Per hour for a year: $2,963
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $234,177
34. Kyle Lowry
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Toronto Raptors
- Position: PG
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $27,741,564
- Games played in 2019-2020: 52
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $666,865
- Per hour for a year: $3,167
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $240,673
33. Paul Millsap
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Denver Nuggets
- Position: PF
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $24,058,445
- Games played in 2019-2020: 44
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $683,479
- Per hour for a year: $2,746
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $246,669
32. Russell Westbrook
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Houston Rockets
- Position: PG
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $30,524,088
- Games played in 2019-2020: 53
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $719,908
- Per hour for a year: $3,484
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $259,816
31. Gordon Hayward
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Boston Celtics
- Position: SF
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $25,921,837
- Games played in 2019-2020: 45
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $720,051
- Per hour for a year: $2,959
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $259,868
30. Paul George
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Los Angeles Clippers
- Position: SF
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $26,163,504
- Games played in 2019-2020: 42
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $778,676
- Per hour for a year: $2,987
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $281,026
29. Mike Conley
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Utah Jazz
- Position: PG
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $25,771,964
- Games played in 2019-2020: 41
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $785,731
- Per hour for a year: $2,942
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $283,572
28. Allen Robinson
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Chicago Bears
- Position: WR
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $16,000,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 16
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,000,000
- Per hour for a year: $1,826
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $295,567
27. Andrew Norwell
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Los Angeles Rams
- Position: G
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $16,000,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 16
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,000,000
- Per hour for a year: $1,826
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $295,567
26. Andrew Whitworth
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Los Angeles Rams
- Position: LT
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $16,659,168
- Games played in 2019-2020: 16
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,041,198
- Per hour for a year: $1,902
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $307,743
25. Odell Beckham Jr.
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Cleveland Browns
- Position: WR
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $17,000,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 16
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,062,500
- Per hour for a year: $1,941
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $314,039
24. Aaron Donald
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Los Angeles Rams
- Position: DT
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $17,108,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 16
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,069,250
- Per hour for a year: $1,953
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $316,034
23. Kyle Fuller
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Chicago Bears
- Position: CB
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $18,000,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 16
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,125,000
- Per hour for a year: $2,055
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $332,512
22. Andy Dalton
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Cincinnati Bengals
- Position: QB
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $16,200,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 13
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,246,154
- Per hour for a year: $1,849
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $368,321
21. Jimmy Garoppolo
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: San Francisco 49ers
- Position: QB
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $20,000,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 16
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,250,000
- Per hour for a year: $2,283
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $369,458
20. Jameis Winston
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Position: QB
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $20,922,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 16
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,307,625
- Per hour for a year: $2,388
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $386,490
19. Tom Brady
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: New England Patriots
- Position: QB
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $21,500,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 16
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,343,750
- Per hour for a year: $2,454
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $397,167
18. Sammy Watkins
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Kansas City Chiefs
- Position: WR
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $19,200,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 14
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,371,429
- Per hour for a year: $2,192
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $405,348
17. Derek Carr
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Oakland Raiders
- Position: QB
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $22,500,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 16
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,406,250
- Per hour for a year: $2,568
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $415,640
16. Philip Rivers
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Los Angeles Chargers
- Position: QB
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $23,000,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 16
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,437,500
- Per hour for a year: $2,626
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $424,877
15. Melvin Ingram
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Los Angeles Chargers
- Position: DE
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $19,625,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 13
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,509,615
- Per hour for a year: $2,240
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $446,192
14. Kyrie Irving
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Brooklyn Nets
- Position: PG
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $25,161,883
- Games played in 2019-2020: 20
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,572,618
- Per hour for a year: $2,872
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $567,561
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13. Russell Wilson
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Seattle Seahawks
- Position: QB
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $26,286,668
- Games played in 2019-2020: 16
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,642,917
- Per hour for a year: $3,001
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $485,591
12. Von Miller
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Denver Broncos
- Position: OLB
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $25,125,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 15
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,675,000
- Per hour for a year: $2,868
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $495,074
11. Aaron Rodgers
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Green Bay Packers
- Position: QB
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $29,672,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 16
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,854,500
- Per hour for a year: $3,387
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $548,128
10. Blake Griffin
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Detroit Pistons
- Position: PF
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $27,308,486
- Games played in 2019-2020: 18
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,896,423
- Per hour for a year: $3,117
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $684,423
9. Kirk Cousins
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Minnesota Vikings
- Position: QB
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $29,000,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 15
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $1,933,333
- Per hour for a year: $3,311
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $571,429
8. Drew Brees
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: New Orleans Saints
- Position: QB
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $22,700,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 11
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $2,063,636
- Per hour for a year: $2,591
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $609,942
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7. Marcus Mariota
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Tennessee Titans
- Position: QB
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $20,922,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 7
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $2,988,857
- Per hour for a year: $2,388
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $883,406
6. Matthew Stafford
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Detroit Lions
- Position: QB
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $30,700,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 8
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $3,837,500
- Per hour for a year: $3,505
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $1,134,236
5. Reshad Jones
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Miami Dolphins
- Position: SS
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $17,191,250
- Games played in 2019-2020: 4
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $4,297,813
- Per hour for a year: $1,962
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $1,270,289
4. Eli Manning
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: New York Giants
- Position: QB
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $23,200,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 4
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $5,800,000
- Per hour for a year: $2,648
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $1,714,286
3. Stephen Curry
- Player info:
- League: NBA
- 2019-2020 team: Golden State Warriors
- Position: PG
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $31,891,715
- Games played in 2019-2020: 5
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $7,972,929
- Per hour for a year: $3,641
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $2,877,448
2. Cam Newton
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Carolina Panthers
- Position: QB
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $23,200,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 2
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $11,600,000
- Per hour for a year: $2,648
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $3,428,571
1. Ben Roethlisberger
- Player info:
- League: NFL
- 2019-2020 team: Pittsburgh Steelers
- Position: QB
- 2019-2020 cap hit: $26,200,000
- Games played in 2019-2020: 2
- Amount made:
- Per hour of game time: $13,100,000
- Per hour for a year: $2,991
- Per hour for total broadcast time of a game: $3,871,921
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Methodology: In order to find which athletes make the most per hour, GOBankingRates first found the top 25 highest-paid players in terms of cap hit/payroll salary for the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA as sourced from Spotrac 2019-20 data. The cap hit/payroll salary data was prorated for the shortened NHL and NBA seasons. GOBankingRates then found how many games each player played in during the 2019-2020 season as well as the following data: (1) money earned per hour of game time (NFL: 60 minutes, NHL: 60 minutes, MLB: 225 minutes and NBA: 48 minutes); (2) money earned per hour for an entire year (8,760 hours in a year); and (3) money earned per hour of total broadcast time for a game (NFL: 203 minutes, MLB: 225 minutes, NHL: 140 minutes and NBA: 133 minutes). Time per game broadcast data was sourced from Baseball-Reference, Forbes and FiveThirtyEight. All games played data was sourced from Baseball-Reference, Pro-Football-Reference, Basketball-Reference and Hockey-Reference. Only factor No. 1 was used to determine final rankings. All data was collected and is up to date as of July 14, 2020.