Big Bucks In Sports

United States

AUSTRIA's Thomas Vanek $10 million

LITHUANIA's Dainius Zubrus $3.4 million

Lining Up
After Marian Hossa left for Detroit, Pens G.M. Ray Shero went bargain hunting to get suitable wingers for Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The results: veterans Miroslav Satan ($3.5 million) and Ruslan Fedotenko ($2.25 million).

HOW TEAMS SPLIT UP THEIR COSTS
The Rangers spent most of their payroll on frontline players but scored little. The Wings were balanced, and it paid off.
[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

* Goals scored
? Goals allowed

Fan Price Index

When SI compared the average cost of attending a game with the cost of living, Texas cities were the priciest, Anaheim the most reasonable

Check the Index

AVERAGING WHAT IT costs a family of four* to attend an NFL, NBA, NHL or major league baseball game, SI came up with a number for every city that has a team in at least one of those leagues. This number was compared with the cost-of-living index for that city during the first quarter of 2008. (An index rating below 1.00 for a city indicates that the Fan Cost Index is lower than the cost of living there; an index rating above 1.00 means the Fan Cost Index is higher.) Was the price of being a fan exceeding the cost of living? In Texas it was. Was it cheaper to go to a game than to do most other things in town? In California it was.