Yet another topic discussed in my Sport Management class that I was really into was the salaries that professional athletes make to play their sport. Back in the 1950's, the average salary in the NFL was around $10,000-$25,000. This was a lot of money in those days but to us that’s an extremely low income for any person. Today the average salary for an NFL player is around $1.3 million! Could you imagine if an athlete in the 1950's made that kind of money per year? A million dollars was a lot of money back then, today it's not considered to be a whole lot compared to other salaries. In 1970, Pete Maravich, a native of my home town was signed to a $1.9 million dollar contact with the Atlanta Hawks after the NBA draft. That $1.9 was a record high for the NBA and was stretched out during the years he signed for. Today the average NBA player makes $5 million dollars. These kinds of salaries are normal in today’s society but what I really want to know is if professional athletes are making too much money? Personally I do not think so. These men and women are the elite athletes in the world and deserve to make what they are earning. Not everyone can suit up in pads every Sunday and go through what is considered a car wreck playing pro football. Paying someone a couple million to do that job and do it well is worth it. Of course you will have those athletes who completely take advantage of their abilities and earning and flush it all away. Those kinds of people come around and there isn’t much you can do to stop it, but it doesn’t mean every other hard working athlete doesn’t deserve to be paid well. The only sport I consider to be out of control is baseball. I say this because I honestly believe that players Alex Rodriguez don’t deserve $250 million. In 2009 alone he made $33 million. His contribution isn’t that huge to the point where he deserves that kind of money. Yes, he is a good player, but what could that $200 million be put towards that would benefit society? That money could go to abandoned children, cancer research, or even Haiti relief! Do you honestly think that A-Rod is going to spend all of that money?
I found a website that goes through Baseball, Basketball, Football, and Hockey and tells you each team’s salary as well as every player’s individual salary dating back to 2000. This is an awesome and informative site to go on. You can look up your favorite team and favorite players to find out exactly how much they made in whatever year you want to see. It tells you the median salaries, total payrolls, and top 25 as well. Definitely check it out and let me know your views on the topic!
http://content.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/salaries/teamdetail.aspx?team=9&year=2009
Considering the health coverage these players get regardless of their salary, your argument about them "deserving" the unreasonably high salaries may not be entirely true. While they do go through a lot of work for their sport, they often do not work as much as your average 40-hour a week grunt, and they get paid even when injured. Also, your average business man or blue collar worker doesn't get an "off season" or any other longstanding break for which they are also paid.
ReplyDeleteI think professional athletes are overpaid. Why is it that athletes makes millions of dollars and nurses, who save lives (sometimes of athletes) barely make $50,000 a year??? I also think athletes are in the same category as entertainers and Recently with the Big Ben incident, we can see that a lot of money can go to your head.
ReplyDeleteHow can you put a price tag on athletic ability. Like it was mentioned before, we have doctors that save lives, teachers who educate children, lawmakers who make laws, and these people deserve less? Pro athletes by far are overpaid! Its funny too that Ben was mentioned because two years ago he signed a $102 million contract. These athletes only play for the money and not for the love of the game. What kills me the most is when these kids straight out of college hold out for a certain pay even before they have been demonstrated any skill on the field. Is this moral or do these athletes deserve to name their price too?
ReplyDeleteSorry, Steve, but I disagree that elite athletes deserve their exorbitant salaries. Yes, they provide entertainment to those of us that wish we could be so talented. And as with the entertainment industry in general, the salaries are over the top. However, I feel that there are many professions that deserve higher salaries, and most of the time these professions have to go to great lengths just to get a slight increase in their menial pay. Normal America doesn't have an agent to negotiate for a higher salary. I do love to attend sporting events, and also watch them on TV, but lets face it, they are extremely pampered!!
ReplyDeleteSTEVE,I AGREE THAT THERE SHOULD BE A SALARY CAP ON ALL SPORTS.ON THE OTHER HAND THEIR CAREER WOULD BE MUCH SHORTER THEN THE AVERAGE PERSON WHO CAN CARRY ON THEIR CAREER TO AGE SIXTY TWO OR EVEN OLDER.
ReplyDelete