That's right, they get paid to tweet, and there you are like a sucker, doing it for free.

There's a lot of things that pro athletes have that we don't have. Incredible physiques, plies of money, a career playing the game they love... and it turns out we can now add piles of money to that list. What, we already did? Ok, well add it again because they're coining it at every possible turn, even when they're tweeting. 

Research from Opendorse revealed the statistics on the top earning sportspeople on Twitter (and in general across all their endorsement deals) and the man sitting at the top of the pile was Cristiano Ronaldo who earns $304,000 (€287,135). That surprised us, because his Twitter feed is so entertaining and filled with interesting insights into his personality and his life. 

The other sports stars on the list were Barcelona's Neymar, LeBron James, Wayne Rooney, and Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City in the NBA.

They also released a top 10 for athletes' earnings with all their sponsorship deals included last year, and while they're not all on Twitter, it does certiainly help to have a big social media profile that advertisers will pay good money to get access to.

10. Usian Bolt | Racers Track Club
2014 Endorsement Earnings: $23M
opendorse Value: $12.1k per tweet
Current Endorsements: Puma, Gatorade, Hublot, Nissan

9. Lionel Messi | La Liga | Futball Club Barcelona
2014 Endorsement Earnings: $43M
opendorse Value: not on Twitter
Current Endorsements: adidas, PepsiCo, EA Sports, Turkish Airlines, Gillettee

8. Mahendra Singh Dhoni | ODI | India
2014 Endorsement Earnings: $26M
opendorse Value: 11.2k per tweet
Current Endorsements: Pepsi, Reebok

7. Christiano Ronaldo | La Riga | Real Madrid
2014 Endorsement Earnings: $28M
opendorse Value: $303.9k per tweet
Current Endorsements: Nike, Toyota, Samsung, Tag Heuer, Herbalife, Emirates

6. Rafael Nadal |ATP
2014 Endorsement Earning: $30M
opendorse Value: 26k per tweet
Current Endorsements: Nike, Kia, Babolat

5. Kobe Bryant | NBA | Los Angeles Lakers
2014 Endorsement Earnings: $32M
opendorse Value: $22.3k per tweet
Current Endorsements: Nike, Panini, Lenovo, Turkish Airlines

4. Phil Mickelson | PGA Tour
2014 Endorsement Earnings: $48M
opendorse Value: not on Twitter
Current Endorsements: Callaway, KPMG, Rolex, ExxonMobil, Amgen, Barclays

3. Roger Federer | ATP
2014 Endorsement Earnings: $52M
opendorse Value: $8.9k per tweet
Current Endorsements: Rolex, Credit Suisse, Wilson, Gillette, Nike, Mercedes-Benz

2. LeBron James | NBA | Cleveland Cavaliers
2014 Endorsement Earnings: $53M
opendorse Value: $126.2k per tweet
Current Endorsements: Nike, Upper Deck, McDonald’s, Samsung, Dunkin’ Brands, Coco-Cola, Beats by Dre

1. Tiger Woods | PGA Tour
2014 Endorsement Earnings: $55M
opendorse Value: $12.6k per tweet
Current Endorsements: Nike, Rolex, Upper Deck, NetJet

Don't feel too bad though, as some sports stars are really not making a lot of money out of being on Twitter, like CC Sabathia, of the New York Yankees, who only gets a mere $1.40 for his tweets. Still, probably $1.40 more than you're getting. We're just saying...

Via Brobible