Just about every child growing up who falls in love with a sport dreams of making a living in that sport when they grow up. Pee-wee football players dream to be the next Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, Saturday morning rec. basketball players dream of becoming the next LeBron James, and little leaguers idolize the likes of David Ortiz and Miguel Cabrera.

And while every kid says they want to be a pro athlete for the love of the game, the paycheck doesn’t hurt either. Each year, the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA spend hundreds of millions of dollars on players’ salaries without batting an eyelash.

So if a kid were to be equally talented in all of the four major sports in America, which one should they choose? In terms of the money and the contracts, it isn’t even close.

Major League Baseball hands out fully guaranteed contracts to every player who signs a deal with a team. While there are some ways to get out of deals, as long as players stay out of jail and don’t retire, they’ll get their money. This is different than other sports, where they only guarantee a limited amount of the contracts and are littered with opt-out clauses.

Compare that to the NFL where the only money actually guaranteed to a player is defined as a “guaranteed signing bonus” and the NFL looks like a joke of a players union compared to Major League Baseball. If a baseball player signs a six-year deal for $60 million contract and blows out his knee in spring training, the team is still obligated to pay him.

In the NFL, if a player signs the same deal and doesn’t get a signing bonus, the team can cut him if they want and not owe him a dime. You kids out there reading this still thinking about picking football over baseball?

Not only is the guaranteed money a bonus, but there is simply more money in contracts for players in baseball. This past offseason, Ndamukong Suh who is widely considered as one of the best players in the NFL, got $60 million in guaranteed money which was the most for any defensive player in NFL history. Rookie Rusney Castillo received a $72.5 million contract before he ever stepped foot onto an MLB baseball diamond.

The NBA is a popular choice, with athletes making nearly $1 million more per year than Major League Baseball, though the largest contracts in sports are nearly all MLB players. The top six largest contracts ever are owned by pro baseball players, as well as 14 out of 15 of the top contracts.

While the NFL is the most popular league in America, if a kid has a chance to pick which sport to play professionally the answer should be baseball. Although there are a lot more games, the wear and tear on the body is much less than either the NFL, NHL, or even NBA.

Playing in the NFL, you run the risk of injuries and concussions that have become a huge concern in the game today. The average career length of an NFL player is 3.3 years according to the NFL Players Association, which is more than two years shorter than the 5.6 year average for baseball players. A longer career means more money.

Get paid the best contracts in American professional sports, have the lowest chance for injury, and get to play the most laid back sport. If you had a choice, baseball gives athletes the most value for their efforts.