Highest Paid U.S. Athletes Of This Year

Having athletic ability has shown to be quite a rewarding attribute. Young athletes dominate in the game and get attention and notoriety off the field. Holding the status as the star quarterback or point guard in high school is like being on top of the food chain. Even after high school, athletes have the chance to show off their skills and earn themselves fame and fortune by doing what they do best: playing sports. Not only do athletes get the publicity of celebrities, some even get paid like them. While being an athlete would be tough, it is safe to say most people would be willing to endure the hardships if they knew how much athletes were paid.

Let's discuss a few of the highest paid United States athletes this year.

Matt Ryan: 52.5 Million

Matt Ryan, a football player who competes in the National Football League (NFL) for the Atlanta Falcons, has officially earned the status of being the highest paid athlete in all of the United States. He is a rather large man standing 6'4" and weighing around 220 pounds. He has been the quarterback since the Falcons drafted him in 2008. The first year on the team, Ryan led his team to an impressive 11-5 record, starting all sixteen games behind center.

After high school, Matt played football for Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. During his career at Boston College, Ryan had fifteen 200+ yard games and was victorious in twenty-five of his thirty-two total starts. In 2016, Matt had one of his best seasons and earned the National Football League Most Valuable Player Award. The incredible amount of skill and competition in the NFL makes this award very difficult yet honorable to gain.

Continue reading to learn who's next on this list.