Tax return documents show that outgoing PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem made more than $9 million in 2016, his final year before stepping down.
The Golf Channel reports that Finchem’s income — a combination of $4.33 million in “reportable compensation” from the Tour, $4.74 million from “related organizations,” and $181,784 in “other compensation” — was a step up from the $5.9 million he made as commissioner in 2015.
So how does the haul of the Tour commissioner compare with the heads of other sports leagues?
It’s no surprise that the behemoth NFL leads the way in executive pay: The NY Times reports that Roger Goodell’s newest contract is in the range of $40 million per year for the next five years.
Other commissioners do pretty well for themselves, too. Although the official numbers are not released to the public, before MLB commissioner Bud Selig retired in 2015 — a year before Finchem — he was reportedly making $22 million annually. NBA commissioner David Stern was reportedly taking home $20 million per year before stepping away after the 2014 season, and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reportedly took home $9.5 million for the 2013-14 season.
Current PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan earned $4 million as deputy commissioner in 2016. The PGA Tour is making plenty of money these days, which means that number is likely to keep climbing.
