Which major league franchises are fined the most?

Over the last few years, major league sport has enjoyed increasing popularity. What this means, though, is that fans of the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB are becoming growingly aware of the rules and regulations – which has prompted many to begin questioning the decisions made by the officials in the middle of the pitch or court!

After all, their decisions often lead to heavy financial sanctions and player suspensions, which can make or a break a team’s season. But which major league franchises and leagues are the worst offenders when it comes to foul play and misconduct? We decided to investigate and review the results…

The most fined major leagues

Taking top spot as the most heavily fined of all the major leagues, we have MLB – astonishingly, baseball teams have accumulated an incredible $99.04 million worth of penalties since 2020. However, while this tally comes from just 64 infractions (meaning each is worth an average of $1.5m), 85% of fines were owed by just two players!

Next up, the NBA is the second-most fined major league, with an accumulated $68.93 million worth of penalties since 2020. In contrast to MLB, though, the cost per infraction is just $14,272, with only five offences worth more than a million bucks. Meanwhile, the NFL takes third, with fines totaling $56.44 million since the turn of the decade, ahead of the NHL in fourth ($8.04 million).

The most fined major league franchises

Analyzing the most fined franchises, it’s perhaps curious to only see a couple of MLB franchises ranking among the top ten – considering the obscene sums owed by baseball players since 2020. Meanwhile, interestingly, there are five NFL teams, despite the league as a whole reporting a relatively low $56.44 million worth of incidents over the last four years.

Reading on, explore which ten franchises have been fined the most and why.

1.      Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB

Topping our list of the most heavily fined major league franchises, we have the LA Dodgers, with players representing the Californian baseball team racking up an incredible $59.93 million worth of offences since 2020.

Adding context, though, a staggering $59.7 million of the total amount was owed by a single player, Trevor Bauer, following an investigation into his off-field conduct. In addition, Bauer was also initially banned for 324 games.

2.    New York Mets, MLB

Taking second spot as the next-most heavily fined major league franchise, we have another baseball team – this time based on the East Coast!

Four New York Mets players have accumulated $25.01 million worth of fines since 2020. Though, like the Dodgers, one player is responsible for a huge chunk of the overall amount, with Robinson Canó charged an eye-watering $24 million in 2020 after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

3.    Brooklyn Nets, NBA

Next up, and placing as the worst-behaved basketball franchise, the Brooklyn Nets rank third among the most fined major league teams, with 201 players accumulating $17.99 million worth of fines since 2020.

Kyrie Irving is responsible for 56 of those, including four separate infractions costing $408,445 each, a further 36 at $381,181, and one fine totaling over $2 million. That’s a whopping $17.58 million from just one player!

4.    Philadelphia 76ers, NBA

Placing fourth, 76ers players have accumulated fines totaling $17.90 million since 2020, across 222 different infractions.

Notably, Ben Simmons has been the team’s biggest offender in this period, with the point guard clocking over $17 million in fines – pretty much all of which can be attributed to his refusing to play or train for the Philly franchise. Meanwhile, other players to record heavy fines include James Harden ($108,000), Kelly Oubre Jr. ($60,000), and Nick Nurse ($50,000).

5.    Memphis Grizzlies, NBA

Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies are the final NBA franchise to feature within the ten most fined teams, with infractions SINCE 2020 costing a total of $8.75 million.

In a similar vein to the other teams to crack our top five, the total figure is largely contributed to by a single individual. In the case of the Grizzlies, Ja Morant has been fined $7.85 million dollars over the last few years – including a 25-game suspension that cost him $7 million (as a result of off-court conduct).

6.    Cleveland Browns, NFL

Placing sixth, the Cleveland Browns have reported fines worth over $6.19 million since 2020, across 34 total infractions.

The biggest offender for the Browns has been Deshaun Watson, whose $5.63 million worth of penalties includes a league record $5 million for off-field misconduct. Other major violators include Mike Woods and Davion Davis, who reported fines of $158,334 and $86,667, respectively.

7.    Denver Broncos, NFL

The second-highest ranking NFL franchise to make our list; the Denver Broncos have recorded fines worth $6.02 million since 2020.

This is largely contributed to by the $4.71 million settled by AJ Bouye, who was fined for two separate offences of violating performance enhancing drugs rules. Meanwhile, a further $928,002 can be attributed to Kareem Jackson, following various different infractions in 2023.

8.    New Orleans Saints, NFL

Placing eighth among the most fined major league franchises, we have the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, whose players have picked up fines totaling $5.61 million since 2020.

This figure is largely contributed to by a trio of stars who each picked up +$1 million fines in 2020/2021 – the largest of which was dished out to Bradley Roby, who was fined $1.77 million after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs.

9.    Arizona Cardinals, NFL

The Arizona Cardinals rank ninth on our list of the most fined major league franchises, with fines totaling $5.40 million since 2020. This is mostly as a result of the $5.23 million that wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was forced to forfeit as a result of a six-game suspension in 2022, following his taking of performance enhancing drugs.

Incidentally, Hopkins also picked up a couple of other fines since 2020, amounting to $38,684. That leaves $131,731 worth of remaining fines across 12 other infractions.

10. Indianapolis Colts, NFL

Finally, rounding out our list of the ten most fined major league franchises, we have another NFL outfit in the form of the Indianapolis Colts.

Since 2020, the Colts have registered fines amounting to almost $4.5 million, spread across 23 infractions. The heaviest penalty was awarded to Grover Stewart in 2023 – the defensive tackle was fined nearly $3.63 million for taking PEDs.

The most fined teams from each league

Let’s look at the teams from each major league who’ve had to pay the heaviest fines since 2020.

MLB

Unsurprisingly, the Dodgers and Mets place 1 and 2 in Major League Baseball, with team fines totaling $59.93 million and $25.01 million, respectively. Following, the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels have each recorded fines exceeding $2 million since 2020, ahead of the Atlanta Braves ($1.72 million). Incidentally, that’s three California teams in the top five, a further West Coast franchise, the Oakland Athletics, place ninth ($734,056).

NBA

In the NBA, joining the Nets ($17.99 million), 76ers ($17.90 million), and Grizzlies ($8.75 million), we have the Golden State Warriors, who’ve clocked over $3.75 million worth of fines since 2020. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves round out the top five ($2.92 million). Trailing closely, the Charlotte Hornets are the only other NBA franchise to record fines exceeding $2 million.  

NFL

There’s not much between the top few NFL teams, when it comes to the total cost of fines assigned since 2020. Sitting top of the list, the Cleveland Browns have recorded sanctions worth $6.19 million, followed by the Broncos, Saints and Cardinals, with infractions for all also totaling +$5 million. Meanwhile, the Colts and Jaguars record penalties amounting to $4.92 million and $4.38 million, respectively.

NHL

The only major league not to have a representative among the top ten most-fined franchises, NHL infractions are seemingly-relatively minor compared to other leagues. For instance, the San Jose Sharks ($1.68 million) are the only team where fines exceed $1 million – and even that’s largely down to the $1.44 million paid by Evander Kane in 2021. Next up, the Boston Bruins and Winnipeg Jets have been charged a combined $850,490 and $657,510, respectively.

So, there we have it – the worst-behaved major leagues and badly behaved superstar franchises. Of course, as the upcoming seasons soon get underway, there’s every chance we’ll have new names at the top of our list next year! In the meantime, explore even more interesting insight over on the High5 blog, or discover our latest exclusive online casino deals.