Highest paid athlete

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Highest Paid Athlete 2011: Largest Contracts In Sport – Some sports stars get paid way too much. Fact. Looking at some of the largest contracts in sport, you have to wonder just how – as good as some of them are – these players can get so much money for doing something that they love. Some of us would put ourselves in their shoes for 1% of the wages that they draw.

Highest Paid Athlete 2011: Largest Contracts In Sport

+Best Paid Athletes 2011

It came as a surprise to me to learn that the New York Yankees are as free spending as they are. With four of the top five largest contracts in sport involving Yankees. So, as Jerry Maguire once said: “Show me the money!”

1. Alex Rodriguez $275 million
2. Derek Jeter $189 million 10 years
3. Joe Mauer $184 million contract
4. Mark Teixeira $180 million contract
5. CC Sabathia $161 million
6. Manny Ramirez $160 million
7. Fernando Alonso $160 million contract Mclaren
8. Troy Tulowitzki $134 million seven seasons
9. Adrian Gonzalez 7 years $154 Million
10. Kimi Raikkonen $153 million
11. Miguel Cabrera $152.3 million
12. Todd Helton $141.5 million
13. Carl Crawford $142 million
14. Johan Santana $137.5 million
15. Kobe Bryant $136.4 million
16. Alfonso Soriano $136 million
17. Michael Vick $130 million
18. Jermaine O’neal $126.5 million
19. Alexander Ovechkin $124 million
20. Donovan McNabb $115 million

My surprise continues, with just two of the top ten from a sport outside of Baseball. Two. The top ten largest contracts in sport consist of 8 baseball players and two Formula One drivers.

Even moving beyond the top ten, it is largely populated by baseball players. A couple of token QB’s, Two great basketball players and a hockey player. You can read more about the details of these contracts here. I expected many more football and basketball players to be in the rankings but I guess they probably make more money from endorsements rather than team wages.

What do you think to some of those numbers? Are baseball players paid too much? - Highest Paid Athlete 2011