Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

Based on greatest players lists from the professional sports leagues and several major sport news sites, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 25 top-rated players of all time in each of the four major sports.

To account for the changes in overall sports revenue and the compensation given to the best-paid players, they determined the highest salaries of all time relative to contemporaneous league averages.

Check the list after the jump…

We consulted leading statistical websites for each sport, newspaper archives, sports encyclopedias and athlete biographies to determine the salaries for each player. In some cases, slightly different salaries are attributed to a player for the same year; in these instances, we took the most frequently cited number. When the average salary for a specific year was not available, the amount was estimated based on the years in close proximity. Ranked by the ratio of the player’s salary to the average player salary at the time, we identified the eleven players that made 10 times the league average.

While previous methods may have missed all-time greats, we ranked players from all eras. This is 24/7 Wall St.’s highest-paid players of all time.

11. Alex Rodriguez
• Salary ratio: 10.18
•Sport: baseball (third baseman)
•Highest salary: $33 million (2009)
•Average player salary: $3.29 million (2009)
Story behind the salary

10. Babe Ruth
• Salary ratio: 10.66
• Sport: baseball (right fielder)
• Highest salary: $80,000 (1930)
• Average player salary: $7,500 (1930)
Story behind the salary

9. Bobby Hull
• Salary ratio: 10.8
• Sport: hockey (left wing)
• Highest salary: $270,000 (1973)
• Average player salary: $25,000 (1973)
Story behind the salary

8. Sergei Fedorov
• Salary ratio: 10.85
• Sport: hockey (center)
• Highest salary: $14 million (1999)
• Average player salary: $1.29 million (1999)
Story behind the salary

7. Wayne Gretzky
• Salary ratio: 11.07
• Sport: hockey (center)
• Highest salary: $3 million (1991)
• Average player salary: $271,000 (1991)
Story behind the salary

6. Ted Williams
• Salary ratio: 11.11
• Sport: baseball (left fielder)
• Highest salary: $100,000 (1954)
• Average player salary: $9,000 (1954)
Story behind the salary

5. Joe Montana
• Salary ratio: 11.23
• Sport: football (quarterback)
• Highest salary: $4,000,000 (1990)
• Average player salary: $356,000 (1990)
Story behind the salary

4. Mario Lemieux
• Salary ratio: 11.5
• Sport: hockey (center)
• Highest salary: $11.32 million (1997)
• Average player salary: $984,000 (1997)
Story behind the salary

3. Ty Cobb
• Salary ratio: 12.59
• Sport: baseball (outfielder)
• Highest salary: $85,000 (1927)
• Average player salary: $6,750 (1927)
Story behind the salary

2. Michael Jordan
• Salary ratio: 13.98
• Sport: basketball (shooting guard)
• Highest salary: $33.14 million (1998)
• Average player salary: $2.37 million (1998)
Story behind the salary

1. Joe Sakic 
• Salary ratio: 14.56
• Sport: hockey (center)
• Highest salary: $17 million (1998)
• Average player salary: $1.17 million (1998)
Story behind the salary

(Story Continues…)

For Full Story & Full Explanation: 247wallst.com at Yahoo Sports