Actually Ronaldo earns more than Lebron. Tiger Woods is now officially the world's first billion dollar athlete. Should we ask the question as to whether he deserves it?
What is troubling, and there is an excellent piece, and op-ed by Whole Foods CEO, and ex-hippie John Mackie, in the WSJ is the rising multiple of CEO pay, which has risen from 35 times worker pay in the 60's to 350 times today. At what point is enough, enough? (BTW, although unrelated, Mackie is not in favor of the public option in health care, and in taking a quick look through the plan offered by WF, I can see much to like.)
What is absent from this discussion of wealth, and I trust, our own "Grand Master" Flash can fill us in on the relevant details is the "missing" income tax from Fortune 500 corporations, as they (and their shareholders) represent much of the US's net worth. As recently as the 50's corporations paid more than 50% of all US taxes. That figure has now fallen, if memory serves me correctly, to below 35%. Certainly this falling corp. income tax figure in concert with rising lobbyist dollars is no coincidence. The selling of American government in it's current form is something none of the founding fathers contemplated, and has contributed to greater undeserved, concentrated wealth than almost any corporate raider.
well, technically speaking, LeBron still earns more than Ronaldo, duc...
unlike here where salaries must be reported, in many other countries if the football club is not public, they do not have to be reported.
last i checked, his salary at Real was about 10.5 million euros a year...($15.4 million)
LeBron's salary this year with Cleveland is less, but that is because his most recent 4 year contract was staggered with 13, and 14.4 in the first two years, so he will be receiving more in the next two years...it was 4 years, 63 million, a shade under 16 million average, which is more than Ronaldo's...
but these players all are earning more than him this year...(though some are similarly staggered...remember, NFL and NBA have salary caps...world soccer does not, so they do not need to fiddle around with the yearly amounts per player to much)
this was 08-09
1) Kevin Garnett (Boston) $24,751,934
2)tie Jason Kidd (Dallas) $21,372,000
2)tie Jermaine O'Neal (Toronto) $21,372,000
4) Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers) $21,262,500
5) Shaquille O'Neal (Phoenix) $21,000,000
6)tie Allen Iverson (Detroit) $20,840,625
6)tie. Stephon Marbury (New York) $20,840,625
8) Tim Duncan (San Antonio) $20,598,704
9) Tracy McGrady (Houston) $20,370,437
10) Ray Allen (Boston) $18,388,430
11) Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) $18,077,904
12) Paul Pierce (Boston) $18,077,903
13) Shawn Marion (Miami) $17,810,000
14) Rashard Lewis (Orlando) $16,447,871
15) Michael Redd (Milwaukee) $15,780,000
while this year, Lebron makes 15.8 and next year, 17.1
I'd still rather make NBA money...though i would not complain if someone wished to hand me Ronaldo's :biggrin1:
