Never has a nickname been more appropriate. In the early hours of Sunday morning, Floyd “Money” Mayweather is stepping into the ring for a rematch against Marcos Maidana and immediately the meter started spinning. Forbes recently calculated that over 12 months this year and last, “Money” made $105m (£65m) for working 72 minutes, in two bouts against Saúl Álvarez and Maidana, the first time round. For last night and two contests next year, he is projected to earn $200m. That is not a misprint.
The prizes on offer for some of the world’s top sports stars this weekend are, in fact, objectively disgusting. NHS nurses may want to turn away now. At East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Rory McIlroy and others are competing for $10m at the FedEx Cup. At Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon against QPR, Radamel Falcao will start answering questions about whether he – or anyone – can justify a weekly wage of £346,000. Serena Williams’s reward for winning the US Open last weekend was $4m, the largest payday ever received by a tennis player – man or woman – for a single tournament. Her $3m prize money was topped up by a $1m bonus for dominating something called the US Open series.
There is a sense that even the competitors are slightly bewildered by the cash flying around. “Ten million dollars is a lot of money to anyone,” said McIlroy before the FedEx Cup. “It’s a nice bit of extra money to have, for whatever that may be.” Bubba Watson, the genial US Masters champion, offered to hand over $1m to charity should he win at East Lake.
It’s unknown whether “Money” Mayweather will be equally philanthropic, but he is a fascinating case. He is the highest-paid athlete on the planet and precisely $0 comes from endorsements. Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, made $80m last year to finish runner-up, but he hustles for 11 companies on the side, notably Samsung, Nike and Emirates. Mayweather’s conviction for domestic violence in 2012, when he spent 90 days in jail, makes him an undesirable brand ambassador. He currently has a civil writ against him from another partner as well.
Mayweather is unusual, too, in that his bouts are less fights, more masterclasses, and rarely particularly dramatic. He was unbeaten in 46 contests before Sunday and legitimate opponents are now thin on the ground. There was little clamour for a Maidana revisit. Still, he always scores strong pay-per-view sales and ringside seats for the Maidana fight were at least $3,200. The suspicion is that many people are now watching to see if the 37-year-old fighter will finally lose.
There is, however, something that links Mayweather, McIlroy and Williams – most obscenely rich people, actually. Rule No1 of wealth-management: the best way to make money is to not actually need it. What this means for athletes is measuring your efforts, cherry-picking your events, focusing on titles, not rankings. Don’t rush, don’t burnout; give yourself every possible chance of longevity.
Williams is an excellent example: she won her first US Open in 1999 and, 15 years later, aged 32, she is still utterly dominant. Financial security means she doesn’t have to hustle, even as tennis has become increasingly physical and the schedule more and more relentless. Williams simply plays when she wants, designs clothes on the side, and can even take a sabbatical to pursue a career in Hollywood. Career prize money of $60m – double that of Maria Sharapova, second on the list – lets you to do that.
Mayweather is similar, though his breaks might be for jail sentences. He fought for the first time in 1996 and, over nearly two decades, he has averaged two-and-a-half bouts a year. This is uncommonly laid-back for a boxer and has allowed him a long, unprecedentedly lucrative career. Golfers, of course, have known forever that slow and steady wins the race. Five of the top eight earners on the US PGA Tour last year competed in fewer than 20 events, and McIlroy recently noted that he has every intention of doing the same. Tiger Woods, 38, and Phil Mickelson, 44, stingily ration their efforts, while Watson stops playing in mid-summer, because he doesn’t much like the heat, and hangs out with his family instead.
The second rule of money is that it’s best if you can actively ignore it. This is easier if you are a golfer or a tennis player, rather than a footballer playing in a stadium echoing with chants of “What a waste of money!” We will find out how Falcao copes, though it can be quickly become very lonely for a centre forward. When Fernando Torres – bought by Chelsea for a British record fee of £50m, paid £10m a year – scored only five times in his first 12 months, £2m a goal seemed extravagant even for a club that had employed Andriy Shevchenko.
The weight and expectations of money can clearly be debilitating. Jordan Henderson, the Liverpool midfielder, was poor value for his £17m transfer fee and newly swollen salary when he first arrived at Anfield in 2011. But he started seeing Dr Steve Peters, the psychologist who worked with British Cycling, and gradually he proved his worth. “The expectations were so high,” Henderson admitted this year. “Dealing with the pressure was the hardest thing when I first came.”
The truly great always manage to separate what they do on the field of play from the crazy remuneration they receive for doing it. McIlroy was asked if the $10m prize would play on his mind this weekend. “I don’t think it will make me any more nervous on the golf course on Sunday,” he replied. “It’s not like it’s going to do that. It’s the title that would mean more to me.”
But then golf is unusual. Every couple of years, the Ryder Cup pits two teams of a dozen millionaires against each other and asks them to play for free. This arrangement doesn’t appeal to everybody – Hunter Mahan famously compared his American team to “slaves” – and yet it unfailingly produces thrilling drama. Money is money, but things get really weird these days when people play for pride, national honour and just the love of the game.
SOURCE: theguardian