Why Track Queens Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone And Sha’Carri Richardson Missed The 2025 Highest-Paid Female Athletes List
The newly released rankings of the Highest Paid Female Athletes in 2025 sparked fresh conversations across the sports world — especially because two of track and field’s biggest global stars, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Sha’Carri Richardson, were nowhere to be found.
This absence is surprising because both athletes enjoy some of the most lucrative endorsement deals in athletics today. Yet once again, tennis players dominated the list, with Coco Gauff leading all women for the third straight year.
According to Sportico, the 2025 list includes:
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10 tennis players
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2 golfers
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1 basketball star (Caitlin Clark)
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1 gymnast (Simone Biles)
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1 skier (Eileen Gu)
And not a single track and field athlete.
Coco Gauff Leads The Pack — Again
Gauff claimed the No. 1 spot with $31 million, staying just ahead of rival Aryna Sabalenka’s $30 million. The overall earnings among the top 15 women reached $249 million, a 12% jump from last year.
The cutoff for the list?
A massive $10.1 million, up from $6.7 million in 2024.
So why aren’t track stars hitting those numbers?
Why Track And Field Athletes Are Missing The Top Earnings List
It’s a simple question with a complex answer.
1. Endorsements Are Big — But Not Big Enough
McLaughlin-Levrone has deals with New Balance, TAG Heuer, and Oakley — top-tier brands by every standard.
Sha’Carri Richardson is Nike’s face of women’s sprinting and partners with Whoop, Turtle, Sprite, and more.
Gabby Thomas — a triple Olympic gold medallist — is signed with New Balance, Toyota, and even has equity as an advisor for the 2026 ATHLOS Track League.
Yet despite these heavyweight deals, they still earn far less than tennis stars with broader global markets.
Coco Gauff, for example, has over a dozen partners, including:
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Rolex
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Mercedes-Benz
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Bose
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Chase Bank
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Baker Tilly
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Head
Track athletes simply do not attract the same volume or scale of endorsement deals.
2. Tennis Has A Bigger, More Commercial Global Stage
While athletics shines brightest during the Olympics, tennis has:
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Year-round competitions
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Massive media coverage
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Numerous global sponsors
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Larger commercial value
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Higher prize money totals
McLaughlin-Levrone and Sha’Carri Richardson dominate headlines during major championships… but tennis stars dominate the calendar.
3. Prize Money In Track Is Significantly Lower
Even the most successful track athletes do not earn prize money anywhere close to tennis players.
Sydney’s 2025 season yielded strong prize earnings — but compared to WTA tournaments, the gap is huge.
Caitlin Clark, earning only $119,000 in WNBA salary, still made $16 million thanks to endorsements. That contrast highlights how much the sport ecosystem shapes earnings.
Are Track And Field Athletes Being Undervalued?
This is the big question — and many fans think the answer is yes.
Track and field is the centerpiece of the Olympic Games, watched by billions, and produces some of the world’s most iconic athletes. Yet financially, it continues to lag far behind sports like tennis and basketball.
Even McLaughlin-Levrone herself has spoken about how track in America isn’t given the prominence it deserves compared to other sports.
And while that argument is valid, there’s another truth:
Track stars must also negotiate harder and diversify their commercial appeal.
For them to break into the top 15, there must be:
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Bigger global investment
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Better branding strategies
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More equity-based deals
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Higher-value sponsorships
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Broader international marketing
Who Will Be The First Track Athlete To Break In?
With the 2026 ATHLOS League on the way and track athletes gaining more commercial influence, the breakthrough may come sooner than expected.
But for now, the highest-earning female athletes’ list remains dominated by tennis, leaving fans wondering when the world’s fastest women will finally claim their financial spotlight.
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