Alex Rodriguez, Manny Pacquiao Top List of Highest-Paid Athletes Across 30 Sports Worldwide in 2010

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May 3, 2011

Alex Rodriguez, Manny Pacquiao Top List of Highest-Paid Athletes Across 30 Sports Worldwide in 2010 We all know that certain athletes make a lot of money each year, but there are some professionals who make less than your local mailman.

ESPN The Magazine recently compiled a list of the highest-paid athletes in 30 sports across the globe, and it may come as a surprise that some professional athletes made less than $50,000 in the 2010 season or calendar year.

There was a tie for the highest-paid sport in the world between baseball and boxing. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and boxer Manny Pacquiao tied for the highest salaries, as they both raked in $30 million in 2010.

Basketball and soccer weren't far behind when it came to big paychecks as Kobe Bryant ($24.8 million) and Cristiano Ronaldo ($19.5 million) ranked atop their respective sports when it came to the 2010 salary. As for football, Peyton Manning led the NFL in 2010 with a $15.8 million salary to quarterback the Indianapolis Colts.

There was a tie for the highest-paid hockey player between Roberto Luongo and Vincent Lecavalier, who each earned $10 million in 2010. The highest-paid poker star wasn't far behind the veteran NHLers, as Canadien professional Jonathan Duhamel won nearly $9.5 million across various events last year, though he donated $100,000 of his winnings to the Montreal Canadiens Children's Foundation.

Women's bowling came in as the lowest-paying sport in 2010, as Shannon Pluhowsky won a total of $40,300 in the 2009-10 calendar year. The men's side fared a bit better, with Walter Ray Williams Jr. winning $152,670 in PBA events in 2009-10.

In case you were wondering, the average mailman earns approximately $60,000 per year.

Check out all the highest-paid athletes' salaries here.

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