When looking into the history of our culture, there are many subtopics that fall under the word, “history.” Topics such as arts and literature, food, and media fall into place. Among these topics reside sports. Since the beginning of time, sports have persisted as an activity intertwined with the daily life of people. Whether it is a pick-up game of football in the backyard, or catching an evening game at the local stadium, sports have become the national pastime. According to Marcus Jansen of the Sign Post, more specifically, baseball is America’s national pastime, competing with other sports (Jansen 1). Providing the entertainment that Americans pay top dollar for, live the role models, superstars, and celebrities that put on a jersey as their job. As said in an article by Lucas Reilly, Americans spend close to $25.4 billion dollars on professional sports (Reilly 4). The people that many children want to be when they grow up are not the firefighters or astronauts told about in bed time stories. These dream jobs or fantasies have become swinging a bat or tossing a football in front of millions of screaming fans. When asked why so many dream of having such job, the majority will respond with a salary related answer. In today’s day and age, the average athlete is paid more than our own president. The cold hard facts show that in professional sports, the circulation of money is endless. Certain teams in professional baseball and football are worth over millions of dollars. Consequently, the teams who are worth more are able to spend more. The issue that arises with this philosophy is virtually how much more? League managers, team owners and other sports officials have sought out a solution to the surfacing problem. Is it fair to let... ... middle of paper ... ...America's Favorite Pastime . . . or past Its Time?" The Signpost. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2014. Norris, Michele. "Lifting of NFL Salary Cap Examined." Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Alabama Virtual Library, n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2014. Reilly, Lucas. "By the Numbers: How Americans Spend Their Money." Mental Floss. N.p., 17 July 2012. Web. 04 Feb. 2014. Roberts, Daniel. "The 50 Highest-earning American Athletes - 2013 Fortunate 50 - SI.com." SI.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2014. Staudohar, Paul D. "Salary Caps in Professional Team Sports." Compensation and Working Conditions 3.1 (1998): 3-11. EBSCO Host Connection. Web. 5 Feb. 2014. "Top 100 Biggest Cities." Top 100 Biggest Cities. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2014. Walter, Andrew. "Point: Salary Caps Provide Parity in Professional Sports." Points of View Reference Center. Alabama Virtual Library, n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2014.
Anyone who has been involved in an organized sport, whether it is backyard football or a high school sports team, knows that these sports all have organizations that are responsible for setting rules, determining conditions of play, and penalizing individuals who infringe the rules. Some of the organizations like the National Football league and the MLB are familiar to most people, the rules they follow are not generally understood by anyone who is not closely associated with the sport. Most fans and sport critics assume that what is happening inside these organizations are of little concern to them. However, this is not the case. In the MLB, the New York Yankees spend an excessive amount of money every year to obtain big name players. A luxury tax was put into effect for teams that go over the spending limit. However, the Yankees are the only team that pays the tax because they are the only team that exceeds the spending limit. The players, coaches, fans, and I have argued that a salary cap would be the best possible way to allow teams in the Major Leagues an equal opportunity getting to the World Series.
A salary cap in pro sports is the amount of money every team in a league can spend on all of the players on its roster in one year. Major League Baseball does not have a salary cap. The reason for a salary cap is to keep teams competitive and not have just two or three outstanding teams that dominate everyone. Another reason leagues like the National Football League and the National Basketball Association have a salary cap is it is fair and gives teams an equal chance to get players which can make a large impact on their team by using their skill and experience. Salary caps also keep players from receiving contracts which give them an extremely large undeserved salary. This is why I am for a salary cap in Major League Baseball.
Salvadore, Damon. "Top 10 Reasons Why College Athletes Should Not Be Paid." Yahoo. Yahoo Sports and News Network, 9 Feb. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. http://voices.yahoo.com/top-10-reasons-why-college-athletes-not-be-12022203.html
If there’s one thing we dread in the summer more than the heat, it’s the afflicting sentiment that surrounds oneself when one is inhibited from experiencing the thrills of football for six long and gruesome months. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football is a part of many Americans’ Saturdays, but to fewer does it mean their lives. Recently coming under debate, many sporting fans and college athletes believe that players should be paid more than just tuition, room, board, and books. Two articles on this issue that bring up valid points worth discussing are Paul Marx’ “Athlete’s New Day” and Warren Hartenstine’s “College Athletes Should Not Be Paid.” From these articles I have found on the basis of logical,
Cooper, Kenneth J. "Should College Athletes be Paid to Play?" Diverse Issues in Higher Education 28.10 (2011): 12-3. ProQuest. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
Posnanski, Joe. “College Athletes Should Not Be Paid.” Norton Sampler: Short Essays for Composition, 8th ed. Pages 584-590. 2013.
Many people can easily picture this scene in their minds: the roaring crowds, the smell of easy- to-eat foods, and the thousands of people all dressed in the same colors. That’s a description of game day at a major college. College sports bring in a lot of money, yet their players don’t receive any money. Many people view this as something that needs to be changed while others believe that only professionals should be compensated. In the essays “Let Stars Get Paid” and “College Athletes Should Not Be Paid”, both authors give their opinions on whether or not college athletes should be paid. College athletes should not be paid because they already receive many benefits from being athletes.
Thomas, Brennan. "Pay for Play: Should College Athletes Be Compensated?." Bleacher Report. TBS, 4 Apr. 2011. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
Johnson, Dennis A., and John Acquaviva. "Point/counterpoint: Paying College Athletes."The Sport Journal 15.1 (2012). Questia School. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.
Johnson, Dennis A., and John Acquaviva. "Point/counterpoint: Paying College Athletes." The Sport Journal 15.1 (2012). Questia School. Web. 3 Dec. 2013.
"Paying College Athletes." Issues & Controversies. Facts on File News Services, 21 June 2010. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.
Hartnett, Tyson. "Sports." WhyCould Athletes Should Be Paid . Huffington Post, 21 Oct 2013. Web. 8 Apr 2014.
Cooper, Kenneth J. "Should College Athletes Be Paid To Play?." Diverse: Issues In Higher Education 28.10 (2011): 12-13. OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson). Web. 6 Feb. 2014.
Wilbon, Michael. “College Athletes Deserve to Be Paid.” Espn.com. ESPN, 18 July 2011. Web. 7 February 2012.
The controversy of athletes being overpaid dates back to 1922, when well-known baseball player George “Babe” Ruth received $50,000 within the first year of his career. Ruth’s extensive wealth was bolstered by dozens of endorsements (Saperecom). As it is shown in figure 1, in the Fortunate 50 Tiger Woods takes the number one spot for highest paid athlete. Tiger’s salary for 2011 is $2,294,116 and like Babe Ruth, his endorsements exceed his salary earning $60,000,000 making his total $62,294,116 (Freedman). It’s crazy to think that 89 years ago professional athletes scarcely made more than the average person today. This is of course not counting the inflation that has occurred since the years which Babe Ruth played baseball.