Want to make big bucks? Play basketball, not football

Who do you think makes more, Tom Brady or O.J. Mayo?

This morning I was surfing Yahoo! Sports, looking at the rosters for NFL teams. Salaries for many players are listed. I was surprised to learn that Tom Brady, one of the elite players in the National Football League, makes almost exactly the same amount as O.J. Mayo of the Grizzlies. I thought his salary would be more in line with NBA superstars like Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, and LeBron James. Not even close.

Here’s another one. Who do you think makes more, Tim Tebow or Tony Allen?

TA makes almost twice as much what Tebow makes, even though Tebow is the much more widely recognized name. He may have inspired “Tebowing,” but his paychecks really aren’t that big.

The NFL rosters were riddled with players making in the $400,000-$500,000 range. The Grizzlies only have one player below $500K and two more below $1 million.

The moral of the story: If you want to make the big money, play basketball.

If you’re trying to decide where to watch the game, here’s my list of Downtown Super Bowl specials to help you out. I’m still totally undecided where to watch. At this point 5 different bars are under consideration. Game starts at 5:30. I’ve got the first half of my day worked out though. Brunch at the Majestic at 11, then at noon I’ll walk over to the Flying Saucer to enjoy a bonus Pint Nite. Almost all beers on the tap wall only $3 a pint.