Some Perspectives

Perspectives Updated 2013

CNN reported that Real Madrid, Spanish soccer giant, increased the value of their club by 76% over the past year to usurp Manchester United as the world's most valuable football team.  A study by financial experts Forbes found that Real Madrid's value now stands at $3.3 billion, knocking the English Premier League champions elect off the top of the list for the first time since the study began in 2004.


The salaries of the highest players can also be seen on the site.

1975 -- Hank Aaron highest MLB salary $250,000.  Cosmos soccer team pays Pele 1M to come out of retirement.
2002—18 million played soccer (up 15%), 10 million played baseball (down 30%) from previous 15 years.
Sponsors. –Manchester United--$500 M  from Nike , 13 years. –Red Bulls--$10 M from Vodafone. (MLS) –New York Yankees--$9 M Addis, $25 M Anheuser Bush (MLB)
Transfer Fees    –$2.4 Billion yearly soccer transfer fees. –$2.51 Billion MLB Total team payrolls.

Top paying sports team in the world by average first-team pay
 •1 NY Yankees MLB $7,674,174,  Highest: Alex Rodriguez $32,904,500
 •2 Real Madrid La Liga $6,922,711,  Highest paid player: n/a 
 •3 Barcelona La Liga $6,648,246,  Highest paid player: n/a
 •4 Chelsea Premier League $5,860,344, Highest paid player: n/a
 •5 Dallas Mavericks NBA $5,809,079, Highest: Jason Kidd $21,310,151
 •6 LA Lakers NBA $5,572,811 Highest: Kobe Bryant $21,200,968
 •7 Detroit Pistons NBA $5,459,873 Highest: Allen Iverson $20,780,313 
 •8 Cleveland Cavaliers NBA $5,399,893 Highest: Ben Wallace $14,458,038
 •9 Boston Celtics NBA $5,339,014, Highest: Kevin Garnett $24,680,304
 •10 New York Knicks NBA $5,305,928, Highest: S Marbury $20,780,313

Wikipedia compares the attendance figures for sports around the word. The high figures and variety the soccer events should be noted.

Most-watched matches in U.S. history
1. USA-China, 1999 women's final, 18 million viewers (11.4 rating)
2. Brazil-Italy, 1994 final, 14.5 million (9.5 rating)
3. USA-Brazil, 1994 round of 16, 13.7 million (9.3 rating)
4. Italy-France, 2006 final ,12.0 million (7.0 rating)
5. USA-England, 2010 first round, 10.8 million (6.1 rating)