The Babe and Money

A financial look at Babe Ruth, in today’s dollars:

Earnings as a Yankee: $7.9 million

Endorsement earnings: $19 million

His first pro contract: $9,800

Fines paid in mid-1920’s: $71,000

His 1927 salary: $642,000

Value of estate at death: $2.4 million

The Yankees earned $30 million while Ruth played; his major league career lasted from 1914-1935.

*

Source: “Money Secrets of the Rich and Famous” (Michael Reynard, Allworth Press, 1999)