How much of an importance involving productivity do athletes have on today’s society? Whether they have little to none, their contracts and endorsements tend to say otherwise. For example, David Beckham, a retired Los Angeles Galaxy soccer player, has received a forty-eight million dollar career total, while a GS-13 level astronaut makes roughly one hundred-thousand dollars a year (APAO, 1). Some say that athletes earn their money just as we do, but that is not so apparent. Another example is how Kobe Bryant is making twenty-three million dollars this year. According to his agent, though, “his on court abilities plus his talent justify his earnings,” if this was the point in all jobs, then doctors and lawyers would be making millions while athletes are put on the backburner of society. This issue is so insanely horrible that bottom-of-the-totem-pole athletes are still making hundreds of thousands more than most PhD graduates receive (APAO, 1). Same goes for injured players too. If an athlete is injured, then he is unable to play, yet he still receives his money, because once the contract is signed, what is done is done. Athletes were not always paid more than CEOs in today’s market. In early stages of the American Football system, when it was not corrupted, almost all of the players had to have a normal day job on top of playing, because they played for fun, not for money. In today’s economy, athletes and their pay checks are far too large considering they are only used for entertainment, and they deserved to be lessened.
Surgeons, lawyers, and writers prove critical in people’s lives on a daily basis, and must undergo rigorous training and often pay large sums for their education, and still end up making far less of an income t...
... middle of paper ...
..., Chris. "Two Sides to Every Coin: Are Professional Athletes Overpaid?." Bleacher Report. N.p., 4 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. .
Ogg, John. "When Athletes Become More Overpaid Than CEOs." Yahoo Finance. N.p., 5 Dec. 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. .
Patel, Tulsi. "Pro Athletes Are Way Overpaid." Daily Herald. N.p., 27 Apr. 2013. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. .
Salaam, Khalid. "Are Professional Athletes Over-Paid or Justly Compensated?." MadameNoire RSS. N.p., 29 June 2010. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. .
When asked “Are elite sports people overpaid?” people have varied responses. Some people would agree with this and say ‘why should a person that hits or kicks a ball be paid as much as someone who saves lives or teaches children everyday? But on the other hand some would disagree and say that sports people are paid for their skills just like everybody else! These are both very good arguments.
“Should NCAA Athletes Be Paid?” US News. U.S. News and World Report, Apr. 2013. Web. 05
As a fan of basketball, the NBA has always been the center of every discussion I partake whenever basketball is involved. Since its inception in the late 70s and the popularity of the American National Basketball Association, basketball has been cemented as one of the most iconic games played today. Whether a fan or enthusiast watches the game live or on replay, the high-voltage intensity and addicting thrill of every turnover and every score made just makes the person go wild. Of course in every game, some people often wonder how much money the players have in each season. I am one of those people who often think about how wealthy these players are and the more I see advertisements and high profile appearances these players partake, the question just keeps on popping up in my head. Reading through discussion boards, articles and even editorial papers about the issue, I have found this to be an interesting topic to discuss and with these sources in mind, this will be my foundation for this topic. In this paper, I intend to prove through an intimate discussion and debate that the players of the NBA are overpaid with regards to how much their salary and contracts are worth.
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.
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.
Mitchell, Horace, and Marc Edelman. "Should College Student-Athletes Be Paid?." U.S. News Digital Weekly 5.52 (2013): 17.Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
6) Clark, Liz. “Athletes Say They Deserve to Be Paid.” Charlotte Observer. (Charlotte, N.C.). April 3, 1994: pg. 4G. Sports. Eleanor Goldstein. Vol. 4. Boca Raton: SIRS, 1994. Art. 65.
Eitzen, D. Stanley. "College Athletes Should Be Paid." Sports and Athletes. Ed. James D. Torr.
Woods, Al. “College Athletes Should Be Paid.” Sports and Athletes: An Anthology. Ed. Christine Watkins. Greenhaven Press, 2009. 87-94. Print.
Daugherty, Paul. "College athletes already have advantages and shouldn't be paid." Sports Illustrated. Sports Illustrated, 20 Jan. 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/paul_daugherty/01/20/no.pay/
Salaam, Khalid. "Are Professional Athletes Over-Paid or Justly Compensated?" The Atlanta Post. Moguldom, 29 June 2010. Web. 30 Aug. 2011.
Now Mr. Roberto Hinojosa contends that professional athletes are overpaid. Citing U.S. Household Income stats for 2012 he explains that teachers,
In closing, these athletes are making too much money in a society that traditionally bases salaries on the value of ones work. These athletes do not know what real work is or how hard it is to make a dollar. Although their job is difficult, they do not play a role in our economy like their salaries indicate. Therefore, they should receive less money.
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.