1 - Which are the wages in the ice hockey ?
Among the 40 athletes best paid in the world, we can find : (in million of francs)
9th : Joe Sakic Wages : 27,6 ; Incomes: 0,2 ; Additional total and premiums: 27,8
28th: Wayne Gretzky Wages : 9,2 ; Incomes : 7,6 ; Additional total and premiums: 16,8
That is to say just after the most famous stars like Michael Shumacher (4th) or Mike Tyson (5th).
To take an example of comparison: the footballers, are behind, far behind since the best paid footballer from all over the world : Zinedine Zidane does not appear in the first 40! !
Appendix (table of wages)
2 - Where does this money come from?
What can be noticed, is that the amazing wages of the professional hockey players are the simple reflection of the importance of this sport in North America. The symphonic concert halls contain from two thousand to three thousand seats, whereas the skating rinks from fifty to a hundred and thousand. So, that is all the fans of this sport, while paying up to $1500 for a seat to the most prestigious games, who make it possible for the players to earn so high wages.
However, if the players were not so rich, it would be the owners of the teams who would be more rich.