Are sports stars grossly overpaid?

397 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Why athletes are role models

Sport has always entertained and influenced our lives. It creates dreams for children and goals for adults. However, many fans are oblivious to the millions they pocket each year. It is without doubt that our sports stars are grossly overpaid. Their annual earnings exceed those we make in a lifetime, even when compared to highly qualified professions. Despite the money factor, we sometimes question the values that are emphasized.

Sports stars earn substantial incomes compared to an average Australian worker. The official benchmark of average Australian earnings is just above AUS$50,000. However, compared to Layton Hewitt, who receives millions in endorsements and prize money each year, this figure is diminutive. Another example is Venus Williams, 20, is the highest-paid woman athlete in the world. She has a contract with sportswear manufacturer Reebok International Inc. that pays her $40 million over five years. This may seem as a step forward for womankind but others view it as a business deal for more money than one will ever need. The disparity between hard working citizens and sporting legends leads us to question their contribution to society.

Many ‘heroes’ are created and mostly because of sporting prowess. Yet, there are some things that are more significant that Olympic glory, contract negotiations and the score of the game. Professions that benefit mankind do not receive nearly as much attention or money but remain essential to society. Through a different perspective, it is becomes obvious that doctors and teachers are in fact underpaid. People who can hit or kick a ball are idolised while others who save lives struggle to gain recognition. What values are we teaching? Or more importantly, not teaching?

Sports stars exhibit their talent through winning and rank. However, through success many values are taught. Values such as personal responsibility, integrity and respect for one’s self and others are replaced with greed, selfishness and ‘I win-you lose’ mentality. It is sad to think that sport and brilliant sport stars will become emblems of greed and selfishness.

Show More
Related

  • The Salary Cap Should Be Abolished in Sports

    2015 Words  | 5 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Movie Review: The Case Presentation Of 'Precious'

    1323 Words  | 3 Pages

    During Erikson’s first developmental stage, Trust versus Mistrust, the child learns whether or not they can trust the world in which they live. As the infant begins to explore their environment they learn what a safe environment is, and this is largely due to the attachment formed with their parent or caregiver (Ashford & LeCroy, 2013, p. 245). Precious reports she did not begin to be physically, emotionally, and sexually abused by her parents until the age of three, so she may have developed some level of trust with her parents during this first developmental stage. However, with Erikson’s second stage of Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt, Precious likely began having problems resolving the conflicts presented in Erikson’s theory of development. This stage is typically entered into at the age of 18 months and lasts until around the age of three years. During this stage, primary tasks involve developing a greater sense of self control and independence (Ashford and LeCroy, 2013, p. 304). This is the age when Precious began being abused by her parents, and was therefore likely not able to successfully resolve her tasks. For instance, Precious was not allowed to take control of her body and was forced into acts involuntarily. Her mother also controlled what Precious ate, at times limiting the amount of food available to her and at other times forcing her to

    Read More

  • Pressure Ulcer in ICU patients

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sayar S.,Turgut, S., Dogan, H., Ekici, A., Yurtsever, S., Dermirkan, F., Doruk, N., Tsdelen, B. (2009) Incidence of pressure ulcers in intensive care unit patients at risk according to the Waterlow scale and factors influencing the development of pressure ulcers. Journal of Clinical Nursing 18, 765-774.

    Read More

  • Kinesiology Research Paper

    1115 Words  | 3 Pages

    You see sports everywhere, on your TV and even your local park. The value of sports in the average American is astronomical, sports is a major priority in people’s life. Sports teaches young kids how to be successful (and not successful) at life. There is so much that goes into sports that people who never have played will never understand. With each sport there is specific skill that one must master to be good, and with that takes hours and hours of hard work. You can talk about a certain individual’s skill and capabilities that make him great, but the real value of sports lies within a person. Sports creates determination and a competiveness that can be used in other areas of life, not just sports. There are millions of kids who attempt to become professional athletes but as the level of competition increases the number of athletes decreases, very few of them ever becoming a professional athlete but they are able to take what they have learned from sports into different professions in life. When a kid spends hours in the backyard perfecting his swing it can translate to the kid spending hours of hard work in his job. Companies and business like to hire ex-athletes because they already know what kind of person they are, hardworking and

    Read More

  • Quality Improvement: Pressure Ulcers

    1407 Words  | 3 Pages

    Quality improvement issues in healthcare focus on the care that patients receive and the outcomes that patients experience. Nurses play a major advocacy role for ensuring safe and quality care to all patients. Also, nurses share the responsibility in leading the efforts in improving patient care in all settings (Berwick, 2002). One of the ongoing problems plaguing hospitals and nursing homes is the development of new pressure ulcers in patients after admission. A pressure ulcer can be defined as a localized area of necrotic tissue that is likely to occur after soft tissue is compressed between a bony prominence and a surface for prolonged periods of time (Andrychuk, 1998). According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, patients should never develop pressure ulcers while under the supervision of any medical institution because they are totally preventable (Berwick, 2002). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the problems associated with pressure ulcers, examine the progress on improving this specific issue, and explain the Plan, Do, Study, Act cycle that I would use to improve patient care in this area.

    Read More

  • Leadership Styles in Professional Nursing

    1383 Words  | 3 Pages

    In healthcare it is very important to have strong leaders, especially in the nursing profession. A nurse leader typically uses several styles of leadership depending on the situation presented; this is known as situational leadership. It is important that the professional nurse choose the right style of leadership for any given situation to ensure their employees are performing at their highest potential. Depending on which leadership style a nurse leader uses, it can affect staff retention and the morale of the employees as well as nurse job satisfaction (Azaare & Gross, 2011.) “Nursing leaders have the responsibility to create and maintain a work environment which not only promotes positive patient outcomes but also positively influences teams and individual nurses” (Malloy & Penprase, 2010.) Let’s explore two different leadership styles and discuss how they can enhance or diminish the nursing process.

    Read More

  • What Way Would A Modern Audience React To The Way Race And Racism Is Portrayed In 'Othello'?

    1719 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the Sixteenth century, as we see clearly from Othello and other works of both Shakespeare and Cinthio's original version of Othello, race was a topic of great debate and discussion. Today, in the twenty-first century the debate retains its controversy and passion. However, attitudes towards race have taken a dramatic turn during the last century. In the developed world people are now living in an increasingly cosmopolitan society would undoubtedly be more tolerant and would reject or even be offended by racial discrimination to any person or sections of the community. Openly 'racist' people today are seen as outcasts. Taking this into account, the way a modern audience would react to race and racism in Othello is dependent upon the way in which that modern audience would interpret 'Othello'. This prompts the questions of what sort of message Shakespeare wanted to send to his audience and was Othello the moor portrayed as a tragic hero or did his character eventually come to resemble the prejudices of which he was a victim. Shakespeare also discusses the issue of race with other characters such as the hateful Iago and the prejudices hidden deep in Barbantio.

    Read More

  • Athletes Overpaid Analysis

    157 Words  | 1 Pages

    Ms. Jennifer Fontaine does not support the idea that athletes are overpaid. Ms. Fontaine suggests that athletes who are superior in their skills and talents associated with their respective sport should be duly compensated. Ms. Fontaine also states that the money earned by these athletes is justified because professional athletes work harder than people in almost any other profession. Last, it is her premise that the money earned by these highly talented athletes help to cover the high costs of medical treatment for serious, if not life-long, injuries such as knee, back/spinal, and head injuries.

    Read More

  • Leadership Characteristics In Nursing

    582 Words  | 2 Pages

    Whether it is in healthcare or in a corporate office, leadership is about having a vision and making it into a reality (Parker & Hyrask, 2011). In healthcare with all the changes that are constantly happening it is imperative that our leaders in nursing continue to evolve and continue to prioritize in their nursing units. To continue to embrace your career as a nurse leader it is essential to always make sure they have professional development and continue to provide great care for all their patients (Parker & Hyrask, 2011). This all needs to be done while they lead their staff and continue to have fiscal responsibility. To be a leader in the nursing field one must possess certain characteristics such as assertiveness

    Read More

  • The Importance of Race in Othello

    855 Words  | 2 Pages

    The people in Venice replace the awareness of Othello’s race with the great respect that they have for him, which shows how Othello’s capabilities far surpass any racist stereotypes. Even Othello’s false ensign, Iago, says that he cannot appear to hate Othello, because it would do nothing to get rid of him. Afterwards, the duke also says that his “opinion…throws a more safer voice on [Othello]”(i.iii.223) than others at Cyprus. Othello is not a vile black-devil in his professional setting. Instead, he is the lord to Iago, the able-bodied general, and the duke even states that Othello, “is far more fair than black” (I.iii.286). The duke is still aware of Othello’s color, black, but both Iago and the duke take into account the physical strength and virtue of Othello that makes both of those titles void, at least in being able to harm Othello’s position as general.

    Read More

  • Are Professional Athletes Overpaid?

    2054 Words  | 5 Pages

    Do you think professional athletes are overpaid? You might think they earn more than what they are worth for playing half a year, but athletes have many things which contribute to their salary. Some of these things include their earnings from endorsements, ticket sales, performance, merchandise, their social contributions, and TV ratings. Although there are many factors that contribute to their salary, professional athletes may be overpaid because as a society, we contribute to their success. So, in the end, part of the athlete’s salary comes from the people who support the sports in the first place.

    Read More

  • Leadership

    2089 Words  | 5 Pages

    When talking about leadership, one cannot help but wonder how it relates to nursing. If the focus of nursing should be caring for patients who are either well or ill, then why is there a need to tackle leadership? Unlike before, today’s health care environment is complex, rapid and continuously changing. This development prompts an upcoming danger to the nurse’s skills, identity and ability to coordinate with other health care professionals. On the other hand, this also makes nurses challenge their own into taking the lead, developing goals, consolidating a purpose and moving towards an attainable vision. A nurse leader then needs to combine clinical, administrative, financial and operational skills to effectively solve various clinical challenges. These challenges are the rationale behind tackling the need for leadership in nursing.

    Read More

  • Othello: A Study of Prejudice and Power Imbalance

    928 Words  | 2 Pages

    Racial prejudice against Othello is introduced early in the play and is present throughout. Iago and Roderigo approach Brabantio with news about his daughter Desdemona. They inform Brabantio his

    Read More

  • Professional Athlete Salaries

    1356 Words  | 3 Pages

    In today’s society many will argue whether or not professional athletes are overpaid. In the present time athletes are being paid phenomenally large amounts of money for their entertainment. It is my claim that all professional athletes are overpaid because they do not offer society an essential function that improves or enhances our world in comparison to other professionals such as medical doctors, lawyers, and teachers. Society does not value entertainment enough to warrant such high salaries such as those of many professional athletes. There is no reason that these athletes should demand these tremendous amounts of money. This is why you have to put into question their reasoning for demanding such high salaries.

    Read More

  • Are Actors and Athletes Paid Too Much?

    1142 Words  | 3 Pages

    Firstly, I think that entertainers’ athletes are paid so much because they deserve it. An actor isn’t going just wake up one day and say, “I think I’m going to be an A-list act...

    Read More

More about Are sports stars grossly overpaid?

Open Document