NFL and NBA players typically make a lot of money. But in order to get that money, they have to abide by the rules of the leagues. If they break certain rules, they have to pay fines, or lose part of their salaries if they are suspended. As it turns out, NFL players are much more likely to lose money due to suspensions than to fines. In the NBA, the split is about even.

The data in these graphs is based on three complete seasons (2013, 2014, and 2015). The percentages show the money lost for a given type of fine or reason for suspension out of all money lost back to the respective league. For example, 30% of money lost by NBA players is due to technical fouls.

Data source:

http://www.spotrac.com/nba/fines-suspensions/

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/fines-suspensions/