There’s something — let’s say perplexing — about the world of sports.
No, it’s not that sometimes we double-take when we see the Washington Nationals atop the N.L. East, or we can’t figure out which twist and turn will occur next in the NBA finals.
It’s more along the lines of paychecks.
The world’s two highest-paid athletes — Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao — are boxers. No. 3, Tiger Woods, hasn’t won a major in four years. And No. 8, David Beckham, gets more photos on TMZ than he does announcers screaming “Gol!”
The pay of Mayweather and Pacquio bewilders me. Together, the two earned $147 million, and that’s without any endorsement money generated from Mayweather.
No sport has suffered a fall from the top of the sports world like boxing has in the past 30 years. Ironically, the only way to salvage the sport is to get these two boxers in the ring. And at this point, it’s more likely that Marisa Tomei is into short, stocky, bald men.
Woods’ major-less streak was recently magnified by his collapse at the U.S. Open. And aside from an occasional win now and then, there are serious doubts about whether he’ll ever be Tiger Woods again.
Does that sound like the golfer to which Nike should be dishing out $55 million to?
Beckham’s presence on the list was solidified by the two-year contract he signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy this winter — a contract even Alex Rodriguez would laugh at.
Beckham, now 37, does more to turn on the women in his Burger King commercials than he does to make his team better. He’s like an old classic movie — you’ve heard of it, probably have never seen it, but you just say you’re a huge fan anyway.
Together, boxing, soccer and golf constitute 5 percent of Americans’ favorite sports, according to a Harris Interactive poll. We don’t even like these sports, so why are these athletes racking in the dough?
Among the Top 10 highest-paid athletes, only the earnings of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Roger Federer and Cristiano Ronaldo are equal to their stardom.
James is arguably the best in his sport. Bryant anchors a competitive Lakers team in a city that thrives on hoops. Federer is putting the finishing touches on a career that may end up being the best in the sport’s history. And Ronaldo has similar intentions.
And it’s not until the 10 spot and beyond where we see the NFL — America’s favorite sport — appear on the list. The pay of Peyton Manning and Larry Fitzgerald pales in comparison to Mayweather.
I believe team and league owners, general managers and sponsors need to reevaluate the checks they sign to their athletes. In no scenario should the star of America’s ninth-favorite sport earn more than its overwhelming favorite.
In 2011, 1.3 million people purchased boxing’s premier event, the Pacquiao-Mosley fight, on Showtime PPV. In contrast, more than 25 million tuned in to watch the 2012 NFL Draft.
It’s clear where sports fans’ loyalties lie. On any day of the week, the average sports fan will choose LeBron over Mayweather (minus Cleveland), Derek Jeter over Pacquaio (minus Boston) and Aaron Rodgers over Beckham (minus Minnesota).
Shouldn’t their paychecks and endorsement deals reflect that?
