Who earns the real money in world sport?

Dan Carter’s holdout for a couple of million a year from the Toulon club certainly made headlines. But to keep things in perspective, and illustrate how rugby is, unfortunately, just a blip on the world sporting map, here are some salaries people make in other sports.

Topping the list is Alex Rodriguez, the New York Yankees slugger, who signed a contract worth $275 million over 10 years (all figures in US dollars). Fifteen other baseball players will make over $100 million. Next is Fernando Alonso, the Ferrari F1 driver, on $160 million over four years.

Kobe Bryant is next at $136 million over seven years. Ten other basketball players will make over $100 million. In the NFL, Carson Palmer, QB for the Begals, will make $120 million over nine years.

On the distaff side, Maria Sharapova is way ahead of the other ladies in sports cause she’s pretty and has oodles of sponsors. She makes around $27 million a year.

However, the most valuable franchise is not in the USA but in the UK. Manchester United is valued at upwards of two billion. The Dallas Cowboys are second at a billion seven. Collectively, the 32 teams in the NFL are worth thirty four billion.

Highest paid cricketer is probably Tendulkar. It’s not known how much he makes a year but I’m sure Vinay and Kersi could make a good guess.

However, if you want to be really rich, forget Yankee Stadium and go downtown to Wall Street.

Last year, Jim Simons, who runs the Medallion Hedge Fund, made two billion – his share of the fund’s performance plus management fees plus return on his own invested capital.