It's no secret: Some of the world's top athletes get paid very, very well. Whether they deserve the money for playing a sport they love is anyone's opinion, but for major sports fanatics, having elite talent representing your favorite team on the field of battle is well worth the price paid for it.
But how much are top athletes from each sport taking home in a single day, or for a single game? You know what you shell out to see an event, but what are the top athletes collecting? With the help of the researchers at InvestingAnswers, we found out.
Methodology
We started with a player's total contract size (as of August 2011) as determined by what is reported by the league and other online sources. Endorsement income not included in a contract was not factored into the player's paycheck, causing some players to drop dramatically down our list.
The contract size is divided by its duration in years, giving us an annual salary. The annual salary is then divided by the number of regular season games in their respective league format.
The final number represents a paycheck for one regular season game (race, or match). Preseason, post-season and extra tournament games are not factored in, as most teams and players are compensated generously for playing and/or winning these games in addition to their salary.
As you're aware, some elite athletes on our list have eye-popping contracts, but their respective sports play far more regular season games than others, causing their "Paycheck per Game" to drop dramatically when compared to other athletes.
For more, visit InvestingAnswers.com.
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