Yes I do

Okay, I see what you meant now.  But in this sport hierarchy, do you think that the person at the top is the best in the world?  Or do you believe it is possible that there is someone (or there are others) out there that would be at a higher level?  

Interesting discussions thus far.  Unfortunately I must leave for a few hours.   

Are they best? In sports, Probably. Ignoring that not all countries necessarily have same sports, etc. so the best boxer in the world (potentially) could be sitting on his ass in the middle of a desert while the best basketball player is busy catching fish somewhere off a tiny island.

In business, well, maybe... although in business playing politics, brown nosing, knowing the right people, being in the right place at the right time, etc. can massively skew things.

No

Of course not, there are 6 billion people, there's bound to be someone who could out swim Micheal Phelps, for example.

I agree with words of wisdom, the peter principle pretty much guarantees that people at the top are not necessary going to be the best. Further more I believe that while skills, and determination play a large role in going up, circumstances and luck play a significant part as well. Often times it's not about what you can do half as much as it is about who you know, or being in the right place at the right time.

In fact, he just lost a couple races two weeks ago.

Getting a big paycheque requires more than just excellent skills. It requires attributes like ambition, self-promotion, greed, social networking, negotiation... the list goes on and on. I'm sure that there are a lot of very skilled people who just aren't interested in fame and glory, or who don't have the skills needed to avoid being exploited by agents or employers.

So the highest-paid professionals might be the best at this broader skill set, just not the best at their specific craft. The two aren't necessarily exclusive, but I think they often are.

No they're not.. There are more thing to take notice than skill, there could be people who has the ability but don't want to or can't. Sometimes people get paid for more things than skill, like if the person is good for marketing.

For example:
David Beckham gets lots and lots of money, and eventough there are better players than him he still get more money, why? Because he's a good publicity.

Maybe i didn't saw it good but you get my point

Please remember, sports is just entertainment. The person paying the player pays him because he feels he can generate more revenue then the next guy.

That does not always mean he is the best. The highest paid boxers are not the best, they are the ones that draw a crowd. Same in all sports, however winning usually brings in the money, so quality of play does matter.

For example, the highest paid female tennis player ever, is Anna Kournikova, and she never won a major.

No. Not necessarily.

The highest paid professionals have the best agents.