...Are Professional Athletes Overpaid? Have you ever considered how much money does an average person need to be able to have food three times a day, have a house, be able to send their children to school to get an education and even have a car? Realistically, all of this plus a little more can be done with an income of between $45,000 and $55,000 easily. For some reason, it was decided by us, people who labor is harder than the most, like janitors, factory workers, and even factory workers, should be paid less than someone that sits on a desk all day or someone that gets paid to play a game for living. Athletes today are the highest paid people in the world, with the exclusion of Donald Trump and Bill Gates. If you think about it, it is absurd to believe that someone is really worth millions of dollars and all they do is play a sport. Millions of people would do this for free if they had the chance. For that reason, I believe professional athletes are overpaid for many reasons. In USA Today Magazine, under section Your Life it says, “Although many professional athletes apparently still feel underpaid, just two percent of the public agrees, according to a survey conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide. In fact, the vast majority of Americans think athletes are overpaid.”(USA Today) This is ridiculous to hear for these athletes already making millions of dollars which is way more than they deserve. Also, in this article it states that professional athletes get paid what...
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...| Debate Paper | Are professional athletes overpaid compared to other leading occupations? | Joe Harris | XBCOM/275 | 5/19/2014 | Introduction A. Are professional athletes overpaid? B. Professional athletes are not overpaid Body A. Comparison of athletes salaries to that of other major professions B. Professional athletes are making too much money (Opposing Argument) C. Reason #1 D. Reason #2 E. Reason #3 Conclusion A. Conclusion B. Restated Argument C. Lead-out Everyone loves to watch sports, well almost everyone. I know that I do, but it seems to me that fans debate on who the best teams and players are, in any of the multiple major sports associations, year in and year out but the one question that has never been answered is, are these athletes being overpaid? Now for the sake of this particular debate I have chosen to compare athletes in all of the major sports compensation to that of someone who is considered to hold a more prestigious role in society. Professional athlete’s compensation does not just stem from the money that they receive via contract from their leagues, but also from the endorsement deals that are signed with other companies. Keeping that in mind, here is a list of the top 5 highest paid professional athletes: 1. Tiger Woods (Golf) with an annual salary of $78.1 million, in which $65 million comes from endorsement deals and $13.1 million from his respective employer the P.G...
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...Today, professional athletes are one of the most overpaid careers in the country. Baseball players make more than a teacher, and football players earn more than a doctor. These everyday jobs teach students and save people’s lives. However, they do not earn as much money as an athlete, who gets paid for playing a game. These professional athletes cause an unbalanced power in society. Today, professional athletes get a high salary for just playing a game. Baseball players in the Major League Baseball earn an average pay of $1.37 million per year. The average salary for a basketball player in the National Basketball Association is $2.2 million every year. However, a teacher only makes $38,000 annually. A doctor, who saves lives everyday, earns about $130,000 a year. These athletes are mainly for entertainment, but earn more than these important careers. Hockey players, in the National Hockey League earn a paycheck of about $892,000 each year. A National Football league player can earn about $795,000 every year. In the United States, a fireman averages about $40,000 annually; this is not even close to the amount a football player makes. Police officers average a paycheck of about $29,000, this seems very small when comparing it to the high paying salary of these professional athletes. Professional athletes earning this much money is negative because they are basically playing a game, which many people play everyday for free, however they get paid thousands and millions...
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...it ever crossed your mind about how much a professional athlete’s salary is? It might overwhelm you. Normal people have to provide food on their table, gas in their car, and clothes on their backs. Only with a mediocre paycheck. People who labor the most, get the most mediocre paychecks. This is one thing that should change. The money that professional athletes make should go to other, more important causes like feeding the homeless, or at least a portion of the revenue. Making such a large amount of money can make a person financially unstable believe it or not. Athletes’ paycheck should be cut a decent sum. One reason an athlete’s paycheck should be cut is because others who work harder than they do, receive a very mediocre paycheck. (http://www.termpaperwarehouse.com/essay-on/Are-Athletes-Overpaid/177751) Hard working people get to come home exhausted every night, only to turn on their television and watch someone get paid millions of dollars by doing what they love. This would not make them feel very good about themselves. An average American makes between $55,000-$65,000 dollars a year. (http://www.termpaperwarehouse.com/essay-on/Are-Athletes-Overpaid/177751) This is barely enough to pay the bills, put food on the table, or even put gasoline in their car. Products in our daily lives are becoming more and more expensive by the second, but our paychecks are staying the same. Behind people like Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, athletes are the highest paid people in the world...
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...When addressing the value of entertainment, there is without a doubt, that we as a society value entertainment highly. But there is no reason that these athletes, who are here to merely entertain us, get paid higher wages than those that save our lives and teach us such as medical doctors and teachers. Professional athletes do not offer society an essential function that improves or enhances our world in comparison to other professionals. It is my claim that professional baseball players are paid more than they are worth. Economics is the key to understanding why these athletes earn such tremendous salaries; still, it fails to explain why they actually do deserve it. Giving athlete’s high wages doesn’t only distort them, but also bring downfall to clubs and the country’s economy. The growth and the development of a sport may be reflected from the wages of the athletes and that is all it does. In conclusion, Team owners pay more to keep athletes on the team to be on a winning streak, but whether the drive to win is justifiable remains in doubt. The economic system involving sports, corporate America, and the media is an interdependent one. Athletes make huge sums of money paid to them by owners who make even larger sums of money. Agents, free agency, and other phenomena keep athlete salaries rising. So, too, does increased ticket sales to games, increased TV viewership, enormous media contracts, TV advertising, and corporate sponsorship and endorsement deals. The economic rewards...
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...And the NFL. In our discussion we will cover why athletes are considered role models and if they should be. Also we will discuss the debate of why many athletes make millions of dollars before even playing a game and if they are actually being overpaid. Throughout the paper we will explain how pop culture effects why these players get paid what they do by ratings and popularity of the sport. We research why teams take risks on players risking millions of dollars when that money could go back to the fans. In looking at major sports in America in referencing professional athletes as role models . Yes, we know how much money they make and what type of endorsement deals they get; what types of clothing they wear in to the locker rooms before/after the games and to press conferences; if they have of the field incident it is known to the public via media outlets; These athletes are looked up to for the skills possess during the sporting event. These people are great athletes again they are not recognized for what they do off the field of play. Most of Americans all ages that compete in sports copy some type body movement; buy a piece of equipment; develop a swagger that is influenced by professional athletes through which is seen during the time the time competition. These athletes are not recognized for time they spend doing volunteer work, unless it is publicized through television marketing; being great husbands or fathers. Athletes are judged for what they do on the fields not how...
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...o Athletes are astounding creatures. They have an unmatched strength and a high level of stamina. They dedicate hours upon hours training and prepping for the sport that they love; or is it just for the money? This day in age all big time athletes that play professional sports have an agent who deals with outside contracts, negotiates contracts, which is a major factor in how much a player makes. There are three kinds of athletes: overpaid athletes, underpaid athletes, and athletes who earn every single penny that they make. For years this question has swarmed the minds of many men for many years: Are pro athletes overpaid? Team owners all around the U.S. Dish out a lot of money for certain players that stand out from the rest. Some teams have been known to spend most of their entire salary cap on one player leaving the rest of the team to get paid little to nothing compared to other players, but is it truly worth it? Owners also pay a large amount of money to their favorite players is for publicity. Most if not all pro teams have that “it” player that a lot fans will pay to see. The value of the team goes up and players with a higher skill level can be brought in making the team a lot better. The overpaid players often result in other players not getting paid enough. These athletes consist of everyone from baseball's bullpen to football and basketball's second-string...
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...Overpaid Baseball Players When addressing the value of entertainment, there is without a doubt, that we as a society value entertainment highly. But there is no reason that these athletes, who are here to merely entertain us, get paid higher wages than those that save our lives and teach us such as medical doctors and teachers. Professional athletes do not offer society an essential function that improves or enhances our world in comparison to other professionals. It is my claim that professional baseball players are paid more than they are worth. Economics is the key to understanding why these athletes earn such tremendous salaries; still, it fails to explain why they actually do deserve it. Giving athlete’s high wages doesn’t only distort them, but also bring downfall to clubs and the country’s economy. The growth and the development of a sport may be reflected from the wages of the athletes and that is all it does. In conclusion, Team owners pay more to keep athletes on the team to be on a winning streak, but whether the drive to win is justifiable remains in doubt. The economic system involving sports, corporate America, and the media is an interdependent one. Athletes make huge sums of money paid to them by owners who make even larger sums of money. Agents, free agency, and other phenomena keep athlete salaries rising. So, too, does increased ticket sales to games, increased TV viewership, enormous media contracts, TV advertising, and corporate sponsorship and endorsement...
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...Analysis, I chose the essay “Do Professional Athletes Get Paid Too Much Money?” by Mihir Baghat. This particular essay is about how athletes make way more money than they deserve and how wrong that is due to the fact that the American society is a place where salaries and wages are based on the value of ones’ work and that a person should be paid according to the economic importance and value to society. By writing “Do Professional Athletes Get Paid Too Much Money?” Baghat is trying to inform the reader about the amount of money professional athletes are making now a day and that they should get paid a lot less. He is doing this by giving examples of jobs that he thinks deserve a lot more money than what professional athletes are getting paid. Teachers are great examples of this. Baghat states that “Teaching is one of the most economically important occupations if you really think about it. Our future economies rely on how well we educate our youth, and yet teachers are paid a mere fraction of what a professional athlete receives” (Baghat). Another example is when Baghat talks about President Obama and how he gets paid a lot less than professional athletes even though the President makes important decisions affecting the entire world. This essay is very one-sided at times but overall it does achieve its goal of convincing the reader that professional athletes get paid too much and that the amounts of money being spent on paying these professionals could be better used to pay the...
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...Athletes Salaries: Are They Justified? 1. Title of Speech: “Athletes Salaries’. Are They Justified?” 2. Speaker Role/Audience: Student/An Athletic Board 3. Specific Purpose of Speech: To convince my audience that athletes’ salaries are not justified. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Brief Introduction and History of Topic: $90 million, $80 million. That adds up to a lot of money. Imagine how many mouths you could feed or how many kids could go to college with that money. Unfortunately, $90 million is the contract Nike gave Lebron James before he even touched an NBA basketball. $80 million was his contract extension in 2006 (USA Today). During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the biggest news in pro sports was Babe Ruth's contract, which paid him $75,000 per year, more than the President of the United States. (Show me the money!) According to the Seattle Times, when confronted about making more than the president, Ruth famously replied “Why Not? I had a better year than him.” Now even the lowest paid pro athletes earn almost as much as the President, who makes $400,000 a year. Later, in 1964, the Saint Louis Cardinals and the New York Jets got in a bidding war over Alabama quarterback, Joe Namath. The Jets came out on top, showing Namath a pretty decent deal. According to Harvey Frommer, sports author, Namath was “signed to a four-year contract at $25,000 per season, plus...
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...There’s no denying the fact that entertainers and professional athletes make very large sums of money. Some people will make over a million in a year, but are they paid too much for their occupations. It might surprise you to learn that doctors and scientist earn much less than most professional athletes. Doesn’t it seem kind of unfair that people who have worked day and night to get these top of the line careers are being paid almost 2 million less than the average professional hockey player? It takes over 10 years to become a doctor, it takes about 6 years of school to apply for a job at NASA, and it takes little to no education to become a famous comedian or professional athlete. Although it may seem that two of those jobs pay...
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...statement that a person’s success in life can only be measured by money. Although as a society we often judge people by their professions and how much money they earn, it does not cover the whole story of success. For example, someone who works hard to open a business is more successful than one who simply inherits it from a successful parent. Furthermore, fulfilling a dream of starting a business, singing in a choir or travelling to places one has always hoped to see can all be called success. Most of all, we measure a person’s success by the healthy relationships people form with family and friends and by their satisfaction in the work that supports their daily needs. Unit 4. Please listen carefully Professional Athletes and Entertainers Some People feel that professional athletes and...
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...Do professional athletes make too much money? Neumann University Daniel Kilpatrick Every year player's salaries reach new highs. Athletes are treated as celebrities in American society and idolized by young athletes. The kids who see what their favorite player is doing through the media also are being influenced by them. The example that professional athletes set is very important because they looked up to. The example that many athletes set is unfortunately a negative one. Most people think that athletes make too much money but there are those that believe they are paid fairly. The enormous amount of money that professional athletes receive is having a negative effect on kids today. Athletes should make less money to play a game because the huge contracts that they receive give them power. They are concerned with making money and not the example that they are creating for today’s youth. Professional players feel that they earn every dollar of the millions they make every year to play a game. Those who think that players are paid fairly in professional sports argue that since athletes make so much money for their teams they should compensated accordingly. According to Forbes magazine "The average NFL team is worth $957 million" (Forbes, 2012). Teams generate large profits and as a result can afford to pay athletes large salaries. The past NFL season, players and team owners tried to come to an agreement before the season. According to Pete...
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...Gage Meyers Mrs. Byers Comp. 1-4 15 April 2014 Athletes Do Not Deserve What They Are Paid It would be great to make 31.3 million dollars a year. Adding an additional 47 million dollars in endorsements for simply playing a game that an athlete loves. Michael Jordan, along with several other professional athletes, think getting paid millions of dollars is perfect. In the 1996 season, after playing 3,106 minutes, Michael Jordan made 170,000 dollars a day which is the equivalent of 160.97 dollars a second (Christian Science Monitor). Another unbelievable statistic is Mike Tyson's earnings in his match with Peter McNeeley. In a single second, he made 281,000 dollars (Christian Science Monitor). Alex Rodriguez will be paid $29 million this season, making him the highest paid player in baseball (Newsday). Rodriguez’s salary is $4 million more than the entire 25-man roster of the Houston Astros will make this year (Newsday). Athletes do not deserve all that money. President Obama’s salary is 400,000 dollars. President Obama is the leader of the ‘United States of America, and he is paid less than a professional athlete that sits on the bench in any professional sport. Professional athletes are easily the most over paid job in America. Professional athletes are overpaid in several professional sports. Professional sports generate massive revenues, and the athletes who play these sports are being paid tremendously high salaries. New York Yankees baseball star, Alex Rodriguez, signed a contract...
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...Are Athletes Overpaid? Last year, NBA all-star Lebron James made a whopping 71 million dollars. That’s about a fraction of what a family income makes in a lifetime. These men and women work for entertainment. What about the firefighters who pull children out of a fire and the doctors who save people’s lives every day? They are all doing things for a purpose. With more athletes, the world cannot move forward. But with doctors coming out with cures and medicines help our life. While entertainment does not make a direct impact. Other jobs prove to be much more difficult while jobs in the NBA or NFL require physical talent. Doctors and firefighters have to take their jobs seriously. The men and women dying for our country every day and the families losing their precious sons and daughters are the ones that deserve 70 million a year. Not people who throw a ball accurately into a hoop....
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