Should Salary Caps Be Paid?

Salary Caps in Professional Sports

While the minimum salary in Major League Baseball is $500,000, many minor league players earn less than the federal poverty level, which is $11,490 for a single person and $23,550 for a family of four. Most of the minor league baseball players cannot even get a second job because of how busy they are. They also might have to move far from their home and they cannot afford a place to stay. That is why most minor league baseball players are housed by a family in that town or city. Many people probably do not want to be housed by a family that you do not even know. That would be terrible. That is why leagues should not impose salary caps for athletes’ pay. They do not have barely any money at the start if they

are actually going pro because college athletes do not get paid. Some people claim that leagues should impose salary caps in athletes’ pay because they think that the athletes will not be worth the money throughout their whole contract, they do not think any athlete is worth that much money, and some people think that baseball players should not get paid because they do not think that it takes very much skill.

However, leagues should definitely not impose salary caps for athletes’ pay because it is their career so they should get paid like it is a career, the money paid to them is earned by how many people go to their games and it is self-earned money, and they work harder than most people think they do.

The first reason that leagues should definitely not impose salary caps for athletes’ pay is because it is their career so they should get paid like it is a career. Some people often argue that athletes will not be worth that much

money throughout their whole contract. Admittedly, there are some athletes that might not be very good throughout their whole contract. However, athletes do not get paid throughout their college and some college athletes do not even have time for a side job because of how busy they are with their sport. For example, Ronald Blum who is an AP Sports Writer, illustrates, “Baseball's average was approximately $50,000 in 1976, the last year before free agency. Back then, many players took offseason jobs to pay their bills.” Blum’s point is that baseball players used to have to work two jobs just to get enough money to get by in life. Which would be hard on top of how busy they are with their sport. Also, Linn-Benton Community College website confirms, “Every boss needs to decide how much to pay an employee.” What Linn-Benton Community College was trying to say was that sports are just like regular jobs for those athletes. Linn-Benton Community College also notes, “You may look at obvious factors like how crucial is this person to our business, or how much does their job make me in return, or how effective of a worker they are.” Linn-Benton is suggesting that athlete’s bosses have to do the same thinking on what to pay them as a regular job’s boss has to think about what to pay people. In sum, It is apparent that leagues should definitely not impose salary caps for athletes’ pay because it is their career so they should get paid like it is a career.
The second reason that leagues should definitely not impose salary caps for athletes’ pay is because the money paid to them is earned by how many people go to their games and it is self-earned money.

Critics often argue that some people don’t think any athlete is worth that much money. Admittedly, it is a lot of money. However, they deserve it because of all of the work they put in. For example, Ronald Blum from earlier in the speech, illustrates, “In a $9 billion industry propelled by ballpark luxury suites and premium tickets, regional sports networks and streaming video, more than half the major leaguers are millionaires.” What Blum is saying is that the money they earn is made by themselves and by how many people go to their games. Linn-Benton Community College adds, “I agree that people that make the biggest difference in this world should be paid more. Job titles from Bhagat's list included police officers, firefighters, doctors, and teachers. Yes, all of these occupations greatly improve our well being and our society as a whole, but is it the professional athlete's fault that these occupations are not paid what they are deserved? Does the fact that teachers, police officers, and firefighters are underpaid have any connection to professional sports at all? No, not in the slightest bit.” Linn-Benton’s point is that sports do not take any money away from other jobs. Ronald Blum also notes, “Most athletes’ money is self-earned.” Blum is suggesting that that athletes’

money really is self-earned money. In sum, it is apparent that leagues should definitely not impose salary caps for athletes’ pay because the money paid to them is earned by how many people go to their games and it is self-earned money.
The third reason that leagues should definitely not impose salary caps for athletes’ pay is because they work harder than most people think they do. Some people often argue that baseball players shouldn’t get paid because they don’t think it takes much skill. However, it has been proven that baseball is a very hard sport. Think about standing in a batter’s box trying to hit a baseball coming at you at one hundred miles per hour sometimes. It takes a lot of skill to hit that. Linn-Benton Community College, from earlier in the speech, confirms “Professional athletes are paid exactly what they deserve because they work harder and sacrifice more than most people think.” Linn-Benton is basically saying exactly what my third reason is. Which is that leagues should definitely not impose salary caps for athletes’ pay because they work harder than most people think they do. Linn Benton Community College also notes, “The majority of people think athletes are overpaid because they see huge contracts come out every year, but this only happens for the best of the best. It isn't everyday that someone in professional sports gets $20 million a year all of a sudden. They worked for it.” Linn-Benton is suggesting that many people think that athletes’ do not work hard, but they really do. Linn-Benton Community College suggests, “When a professional athlete is paid more than their teammates they're obligated to do more on and off the court. On the court they are supposed to score most of the points, play the most minutes, and win every game--even though it's a team sport. Off the court they are contracted into meeting with the media, making appearances to show support for a sponsor or their hometown, and find time to connect with their local communities in order to set a good example for the youth. Not to mention long hours of practice and living in hotels most of the year.” Linn-Benton is saying that athletes’ do a lot more work outside of their sport. In sum, it is apparent leagues should definitely not impose salary caps for athletes’ pay because they work harder than most people think they do.
In conclusion, even though it is often argued that leagues should impose salary caps in athletes’ pay because they think that the athletes will not be worth the money throughout their whole contract, they do not think any athlete is worth that much money, and some people think that baseball players should not get paid because they do not think that it takes very much skill, it is clear to see that leagues should absolutely not impose salary caps for athletes’ pay because they work harder than most people think they do, the money paid to them is earned by how many people go to their games and it is self-earned money, it is their career so they should get paid like it is a career. Then, maybe one day, if salary caps still are not imposed, then minor league baseball players will start to get more money.