By Jim Scott
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATAN — The New York Yankees have risen to the top of the heap once again.
The Yankees beat out European soccer giants Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea as the highest paid sports team on the planet, according to a report from the Sporting Intelligence Web site.
The report was based on 2009 payroll numbers and took into account only the salaries of starting players, with the Yankees starters averaging $6.9 million a year or $134,633 a week.
The Yankees overall 2009 payroll was an estimated $201 million led by third baseman Alex Rodriguez's $27 million paycheck. However, New York got a lot of bang for its buck by winning its 27th World Series championship over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Spanish league soccer team Real Madrid came in second to the Yankees with their starters making an average of $6.3 million per season. Real Madrid paid a $120 million transfer fee to Manchester United for the rights to star striker Cristiano Ronaldo last year to give their payroll a huge bump.
The English Premier League is the richest soccer league in the world but only two of its clubs, Chelsea and Manchester United, were among the top 30 high-paying teams. Chelsea was fourth overall on the list at $3.6 million per year.
Surprisingly, Manchester United finished just 14th, with an average yearly player salary of $4.3 million.
The Dallas Mavericks were the highest-paid NBA team and came in at fifth overall on the list.
NBA teams litter the list because there are only five starters per team, compared to 11 starters in soccer and nine in baseball.
Six NBA teams cracked the top 10, including the New York Knicks. Knicks starters made an average of $4.9 million in 2009, but it only amounted to a paltry 32-50 record.
