Are Professional Athletes Overpaid and Why

I believe that pro-athletes are overpaid because professional athletes do not offer society an essential function, wages and salary should be based on job importance, not entertainment, and the high demand for sports contributes to professional athletes compensation.So are professional athletes overpaid and why ?

The first reason pro-athletes are overpaid is because they do not benefit society. Believe it or not, there are people with more important careers in which they do positively change our society. It’s not a surprise that teachers and police officers make drastically less than professional athletes but if you do your research, teachers help guide and encourage their students and also teach them what they need to know to prosper them into who they became.

They help shape the future for these athletes but yet still get paid so much less than people who, for example, play for an NFL football team or professional basketball teams. Even people in well educated, jobs like medicine or criminal law still get paid less than athletes which in my opinion is wrong.

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Another reason professional athletes are overpaid is that compensation should be based on job importance, not the entertainment that they provide. Job importance, like life-saving professions, are not paid a lot for the stress of their jobs, there may come a day when jobs like these will not be as easy to fill due to the amount they get paid. We should pay the individuals who make a difference in the world, like the people who serve our country.

Unless you’re finding a cure for cancer or working at creating world peace, I honestly don’t think that anybody deserves to get that much money just by running up and down a field. The athletes receiving these huge amounts of money know that it is a lot, but who would want to leave that career? Making that much income, I would never consider leaving a job like that. They won’t be able to make that kind of money doing anything else, so as anybody would, they stay in that career path for as long as they can. Society doesn’t realize that even if pro athletes get paid less, it would not decrease their performance in the game or the love they have for that sport.

The final reason that pro athletes are overpaid is because there is a high demand for professional sports. Sports are part of the daily life of so many people across the nation, and in the U.S, sports are more active in its society's life today then let’s say ten years ago. Professional athletes must be well paid because of them being the absolute best at their job but should not be overpaid when there are so many more important problems around the world that can be solved with money like poverty. At this time, professional athletes do not play for the love of the sport, what they care about is the amount of money in their contracts and the years following the contracts. The fans who support their teams have the majority of cause in the high salaries of these athletes. They buy things like t-shirts or tickets which all get dispensed to the players but most fans might say that professional athletes are not overpaid.

On the other hand, some might believe that professional athletes are not overpaid. Professional athletes are the best and most determined people with amazing physical abilities. They compete in sports to entertain people and make a living. These athletes train hard and for long periods to be the best at what they do. Fans pay to watch them play because they enjoy seeing them. Like other entertainers, athletes are paid large amounts for their performances in the game. Professional athletes are not overpaid for the amount of physical and mental stress they go through to do their job but they are overpaid due to their lack of job importance.

All in all, Athletes are overpaid mainly due to their fans. Teams make their money through things like merchandise and ticket sales because of the high demand for sports and also, some may argue that they put themselves in potential risks for injuries but is this entertainment doing anything essential for our society?

Works Cited

1. 'Are Pro Athletes Overpaid?' New York Times Upfront, vol. 151, no. 11, 1 Apr. 2019, p. 22+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A582400208/OVIC?u=j170902016&sid=OVIC&xid=d5301e43. Accessed 3 Mar. 2020.
2. Spector, Jesse, and Fred Bowen. 'Are Pro Athletes Overpaid?' Junior Scholastic/Current Events, vol. 121, no. 10, 11 Mar. 2019, p. 22+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A578440022/OVIC?u=j170902016&sid=OVIC&xid=382f2e89. Accessed 3 Mar. 2020.
3. Zack, Ian. 'TIME TO DEBATE.' New York Times Upfront, vol. 151, no. 11, 1 Apr. 2019, p. T1. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A582400210/OVIC?u=j170902016&sid=OVIC&xid=339e19ba. Accessed 3 Mar. 2020.

Works cited

1. ‘Are Pro Athletes Overpaid?’ New York Times Upfront, vol. 151, no. 11, 1 Apr. 2019, p. 22+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A582400208/OVIC?u=j170902016&sid=OVIC&xid=d5301e43. Accessed 3 Mar. 2020.
2. Spector, Jesse, and Fred Bowen. ‘Are Pro Athletes Overpaid?’ Junior Scholastic/Current Events, vol. 121, no. 10, 11 Mar. 2019, p. 22+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A578440022/OVIC?u=j170902016&sid=OVIC&xid=382f2e89. Accessed 3 Mar. 2020.
3. Zack, Ian. ‘TIME TO DEBATE.’ New York Times Upfront, vol. 151, no. 11, 1 Apr. 2019, p. T1. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A582400210/OVIC?u=j170902016&sid=OVIC&xid=339e19ba. Accessed 3 Mar. 2020.