If you strictly compare the big numbers you see for an NBA contract to NFL contracts, it is apples and oranges. There are far fewer players (420 vs 1698) splitting the NBA pie – 4 times more NFL players.

Let’s do some math. The NFL has income in the $13B range. The NBA in the $5.2 range.

The NFL there are 32 teams with 53 roster spots and the average salary is $2.1M. That is $3.56B in salary, or 27.4% of the income.

The NBA has 30 teams with an average of 14 roster spots filled and an average salary of $6.2M. That is $2.6B, or 50% of the income for the league.

So, clearly, the NBA players are getting a higher percentage of the league income.

But you can’t just compare the contract values and say “my league makes more money so our contracts should be bigger.”