Wouldn’t it be great to make millions of dollars a year simply to play a game? Other than running around playing children’s games like shooting balls into baskets, hitting a ball back and forth, and running around a field, what do professional athletes really do as their “job”? Overpaid athletes are a highly debated subject that has been discussed amongst many individuals in society. Some may argue that professional athletes don’t deserve their pay as the value of a job is crucial to society, while others argue that these athletes deserve every penny they make due to the amount of entertainment they provide. Ultimately, it can be justified that athletes aren’t overpaid, they are just chess pieces in one of the highest-grossing industries in the world.
One reason athletes’ wages are deserved is the number of sacrifices they make for their careers. Professional athletes limit crucial aspects of their lives, primarily their families and health. For instance, away games that distance athletes from their families occur throughout the entire season. The fact that players put their bodies in jeopardy every day is even more critical. According to, “Do Professional Athletes Deserve Their Inflated Salaries?” by Elad De Piccioto, he expresses his concern about how athletes’ injuries can cause long-term damage. He states, “Physical injury can leave professional athletes handicapped or disabled for the rest of their lives; NFL players who experience multiple concussions can suffer from progressive degenerative disease that causes dementia and depression.” Clearly, being a professional athlete is not an easy task, and it takes tremendous hours of hard work and dedication every day to earn the payment they receive. Additionally, student-athletes who want to make it to the pros spend all of their free time training, as opposed to the majority of teenagers or college-age students who spend their spare time studying, working, or hanging out. Because of the enormous amount of time and effort they invest in training, as well as the significant health risks they face, professional athletes deserve to be paid an adequate salary, especially given that their careers often conclude around the age of 35. The careers of the few athletes that make it that far are relatively short lasting only 5 to 10 years, as opposed to other occupations that last for 40 or 50 years.
Another reason why athletes’ salaries are valid is that athletes don’t get paid as much as we think. Although the highest-paid athletes receive greater exposure in the media, the majority of athletes actually receive fair compensation. We have a tendency to overlook the fact that published professional athlete earnings are gross salaries. These may seem like enormous wages, but so are the deductions from them. Aside from the taxes that everyone pays, including the federal, state, and pension, players also have to pay agent fees, $10,000 union dues, and a Jock Tax for each of their away games. Although their net incomes may be higher than ours, they are still considerably less than what is advertised and less than what we like to believe. Jesse Spector and Fred Bowen’s article “Are Pro Athletes Overpaid?” goes into depth about the truth of athletes’ salaries. They provide logical reasoning and various facts regarding their money as they claim, “Not all athletes make millions of dollars. The lowest-paid N.F.L., M.L.B., and N.B.A. players make about $500,000 (While that’s still a lot, it’s not nearly as much as their top-level teammates earn). And pros in less popular sports make even less than that.” Consider who would receive the funds as well if the athletes earned less; the wealthy owners of the N.F.L., M.L.B., and N.B.A. teams would probably keep the difference for themselves.
The third reason that athletes are not overpaid is that ultimately, professional sports is a money-earning business. Sports organizations hire the best athletes available because they understand that in order to be lucrative, they must succeed. It’s important to remember that those athletes are an essential part of enormously profitable companies. The N.F.L., M.L.B., and N.B.A. generate billions of dollars in revenue. Without the players, the leagues wouldn’t exist. Players’ salaries are simply their share of all the cash these hugely successful businesses bring in. The star players on the squad, also known as “franchise players,” are its public face. They improve the squad as a whole by helping their teammates. A team typically has one franchise player who earns a big salary, possibly more than his estimated value as he propels the organization’s financial success. As conveyed in the book “Pay Dirt: The Business of Professional Team Sports” by James Quirk and Rodney D. Fort, they utilize rational evidence to reveal the reality of the sports industry. They declare, “Owners are fond of pointing out that if player salaries increase, they (the owners) will be forced to raise ticket prices.” Similarly, in the article “Are professional athletes overpaid?” by Parker Reed and Kelsey O’Connor, they establish several reasons why athletes aren’t overpaid, one being that “The athletes who make up the rosters for these professional sporting franchises are directly responsible for how much the team is worth and how much everyone else in the organization draws in.” This elucidates that if they perform poorly, the team attracts fewer fans and less revenue. If they do well, that yields bigger television contracts, more merchandise sales, and an organization that is ultimately worth more.
However, others believe that professional athletes are making too much money in a society where salaries and wages are traditionally based on the value of one’s work. Along with Elad De Piccioto’s strong opinions about how athletes’ salaries are fair, he also provides several reasons why their pay is not justified. He presents his point by stating, “In 2019, the average annual income for a US household was $96,955 while the average income of a professional baseball player in the major leagues was around $4.7 million.” This concludes that the future of sports may be seriously threatened by the widening financial divide between the typical American and a professional player. Sports fans may feel resentment toward supporting sportsmen who receive excessive pay because ticket prices, in addition to merchandise, are rapidly growing. In that case, they won’t pay to watch or support professional sports teams anymore, leaving the sector in a bind.
Secondly, it is believed that the amount of money athletes are getting paid can eventually diminish the true meaning of sports. The new massive financial investments in professional sports have the potential to rob them of their fundamental essence. More young adults desire to be professional athletes due to the high incomes they receive, rather than for the love of the sport. Athletes’ motivation to play has been negatively impacted by this change in purpose. Sports will lose their spirit and passion if professional athletes compete for money instead of for perfection. This will harm both the athletes and the sport as a whole. James Quirk and Rodney D. Fort’s book goes into detail about why these players earn their salaries as they claim, “Rookies and hopefuls typically received a salary increment relative to other players with the same performance and playing time stats.” This statement is an objective of why young athletes strive to perform well in hopes to make huge wages.
Finally, the third and main reason why individuals rebuttal the fact that athletes are overpaid is that one should be paid according to the job’s economic importance. Countless individuals emphasize the value of human life over these billion-dollar organizations. Mihir Bhagat’s article, “Do Professional Athletes Get Paid Too Much Money?” heavily highlights how other occupations deserve the recognition athletes are receiving. He explains how the future of our economy is contingent upon the education of our children, making teaching one of the most economically significant professions. However, teachers are paid much less than the average professional athlete. LeBron James actually earned more money per basket than the typical classroom teacher makes in a year. Undoubtedly, some individuals remain unaware of the fact that the president, one of the most important people in our country, only earns $400,000 annually despite the daily decisions he demands that have an impact on the entire world. The unknown rookie in the MLB is earning far more than that amount while the president is working hard to revive the economy. Furthermore, for a fraction of what professional athletes are paid, police officers, firefighters, and physicians risk their lives to save others. Armed forces members leave their families behind to fight and protect the nation, knowing they might never come home. It’s a shame that none of these real heroes receive the same level of recognition as players like Michael Jordan. Bhagat declares, “If these athletes want to continue to be rewarded with the fame and fortune that is unfairly bestowed upon them, they must prove to the world that they are going to be positive role models for future athletes, and those who admire them.” He strongly advocates that these athletes do nothing more than entertain the general public. Think for a second about what would occur if all sports teams in our nation suddenly vanished. Even though our nation might lament the loss of entertainment, everyone would persevere and find other ways to pass the time. Consider what would occur if every doctor in our nation vanished. Thousands of people would perish. There wouldn’t be anyone to help those injured in vehicle accidents or even to treat the common cold.
Although these arguments may appear to be a convincing side of the debate, the reality is the law of supply and demand. We as fans feed into a huge pool of the sports industry, willing to pay thousands of dollars for a seat to watch a game. As we proceed to pay this ridiculous amount of money for merchandise and tickets, the prices will continue to rise. Along with that, making it into the pros is not an easy act to do, and it takes an immense number of hours of hard work every day to earn a job in professional sports. Athletes are physically pushed to their limits day in and day out. Their performance directly affects the worth of the teams for which they play. Superstar athletes are entertaining fans all around the world, enticing people with a feeling of relaxation and excitement. They can be a huge role model to thousands of people and can be the light when individuals are suffering through hardships. Various athletes will visit hospitals to meet with fans to spend time with time and give gifts such as autographs. With that being said, they also donate an enormous amount of money from their salaries to charities and show their support for important causes such as cancer and underprivileged schools.
Conclusively, the bottom line is that athletes truly deserve their pay and can be a huge asset to society. The reality of how much they’re actually paid, the sacrifices they make in order to play, and ultimately being a money-making business can justify that they are not overpaid. Some may feel that athletes make too much money since it will hurt the sports industry in the long run, as well as not having as much value compared to other jobs. However, entertainment is a crucial factor in our daily lives as we feed into that supply of wanting to be amused and have fun. Yes, they may be running around playing children’s games, but we continue to promote sports whether it be through our kids or ourselves by going to watch the games. Ultimately, it can be justified that athletes deserve every penny that they make.
