Comparing Home Run Derby Prize Money to Other Sports Contests

The winner of the MLB Home Run Derby receives $1,000,000. Below, we will compare the Home Run Derby prize money to other sports contests.

With +650 odds at the top online sportsbooks, Juan Soto took home the the Home Run Derby trophy in 2022, bringing home the $1 million prize.

At the 2022 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, Joey Chestnut won the men’s event by eating 63 hot dogs.

Though, in comparison to the first-place payout of the Home Run Derby, the prize money of the hot dog eating contest is minuscule. Chestnut won $10,000 for eating those dozens of hot dogs.

How much money does the NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner receive? How about for winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee? Find out below.

Comparing Home Run Derby Prize Money to Other Sports Contests

While not necessarily sports-related, the winner of American Idol receives $250,000. Per multiple sources, the winner of American Idol receives $125,000 after signing an initial contract. And the winner will then receive the other half after recording an album over the course of four months.

That’s still $750,000 less than the Home Run Derby prize. However, talented singers have unlimited resources and potential. Sponsorships and record deals are more important than just winning the show itself. With publicity and a dependable agent, six-figure earnings can turn into millions.

NBA Slam Dunk Contest Winner: $100,000

Furthermore, the winner of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest receives $100,000. Anfernee Simons of the Trail Blazers won the contest during this year’s All-Star Weekend. Each contestant performs a dunk on the court. Then, a panel of judges will reveal their scores. Ten is the highest score each individual judge can give out.

Larry Nance won the first contest in 1984. Also, with three wins, Nate Robinson has won the most slam dunk contests. At this point, fans and players have seen it all on the court.

Whether it’s jumping from the free throw line and performing a one-handed dunk to simply jumping over a car, spectators have seen everything by now. Reverse dunks, windmill dunks, two-handed dunks, 360 dunk, rock the cradle and other ones are great.

Scripps National Spelling Bee Winner: $50,000

Next, the winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee receives $50,000. While this amount is not much next to the MLB Home Run Derby, students can still use this money towards college. Last month, 14-year-old Harini Logan won her first title.

It was her fourth year competing in the national spelling bee as well. In the final rounds, Logan and 12-year-old Vikram Raju misspelled the word “Senijextee.” After Raju misspelled the word “sereh,” Logan spelt the word correctly.

Later on, she advanced to the spell-off challenge. During a spell-off, each contestant has 90 seconds to spell as many words as possible. Raju ended the round with 15 words spelt correctly, whereas Logan finished with 22 words.

American Ninja Warrior Winner: $1,000,000

Additionally, the winner of American Ninja Warrior receives $1,000,000. It is a sports entertainment reality show based on the Japanese show Sasuke. Reality sports shows offer similar, if not the same first-place prize as the MLB Home Run Derby.

ANW is all about testing the strength, endurance and athleticism of its competitors. While not dangerous per se, it’s a good thing to know how to climb, balance and swim.

To date, only Isaac Caldiero and Drew Drechsel have won the first-place cash prize. Geoff Britten won the title of “First American Ninja Warrior” after being the first to complete six courses. ANW first made its debut on Dec. 12, 2009. As of this year, there has been 14 seasons and 187 episodes.

Besides the first-place winner of Survivor or The Amazing Race receiving $1,000,000, signing up for ANW is a terrific option for sports enthusiasts. Personal trainers, fitness models, police officers, soldiers and individuals from other professions sign up for these reality shows.

Comparing home run derby prize money to these shows makes sense. Needless to say, winning one of the shows listed down below here is much more exhausting than participating in the MLB Home Run Derby.