Beckham signed a five year deal with the L.A. Galaxy in 2007 for $250 million U.S.

So along with his AC Milan deal that makes $56.9 million U.S. per season.

I'd say he wins hands down.

You shouldn't say stuff like that man, like everyone eventually will be playing street hockey and five pin bowling because they're going to be the marquee Olympic sports and hockey will the biggest sport ever and they're going put it in the summer Olympics as well. Canada is the most important country in the world and like we're really important and we don't care what people's newspapers are saying about us, anyway, they should shut up.

I believe the correct term is Womens two man bobsleigh.

Go figure.

I guess you are playing with me, but 42 million (actually 32.5 according to your link) over 5 years with LA is actually less than what Crosby makes, as if that is suppose to determine the argument about cricket. Also note than Crosby is not the highest paid player in hockey, find me the top 10 paid soccer players in NA. Crosby makes 8.7 milllion per year over a 5 year contract. 8.7 because his number is 87 and the nhl, like the nfl has a salary cap so that more than the same 3 teams can be competitive for a championship. Then of course you have his endorsements as well. How much is the highest paid cricket and rugby player?

I get it:

Canada is the greatest nation in the world because they are the greatest at Hockey

To hell with the rest of you as you are all jealous

By the way none of us are Canadian in the summer as the World Cup is on so we will be reverting to our home nations.

I know, rugby and cricket and formula one suck eggs and they don't make nothing compared to our hockey players. Canada is number one!!!!!!!!

But like nobody will watching that as its boring and anyway they'll all be watching the Stanley Cup.

well, to be fair, the car makers do quite well in formula one. It is all about the car.

With your evident love of the sport it's hard to believe that your Canadian friends wanted to watch the game somewhere else.

Too right, I bet even if Messier pulled out his loonie jar he could have his own team as he made loads of money with his potato chip commercials.

You must be Canadian

That's just such BS. Bigger than Rugby? I think not. For the 2007 world cup, 86 national teams were entered in the regional qualifying tournaments, which together with the 8 quarter-finalists from the preceding Cup makes 94 teams entered into the competition. Show me where more than 94 nations tried to qualify for the Ice Hockey olympic tournament.

Cricket has a pool of nearly 90 teams entering the first qualifying stages of a World Cup. The Ice Hockey world championship can only muster around 40 national teams at most.

Even hockey (of the field variety) has a wider playing membership than ice hockey. There are 127 national member associations of the IHF compared to 48 national member associations of the IIHF.

Flag bearers at the Games are usually chosen as those athletes with widest recognition amongst the general public in their home nation. Given that NHL players are wealthy professional sportsmen with endorsement contracts etc, it is hardly surprising that they are better recognised than the financially-struggling sliders or biathletes and the like.

My point was that Canada makes a fuss over hockey out of all proportion to the rest of the world, and at the expense of other sports. This morning's Globe & Mail illustrates the point perfectly. Canada won four medals yesterday including a gold-silver double in the women's bob; the hockey team played a game to avoid an early exit from the tournament and get into the semi finals. Yet what's this morning's big front page picture? The hockeyists celebrating their escape from ignominious mediocrity.

How much do the bob sleighers and their sponsors spend on advertising in the Globe and Mail?

Well. thats five minutes of my life I will never get back.


Really, what on earth is the point in bickering about which sport is best or biggest or pays more. Some people like one, some like another, some like both, my wife likes none of them... big deal, get over yourselves

What he said ^^^