The workload that professional athletes endure is unlike any most careers. These men and women are constantly stressing their body year-round every single day to stay in elite form. This strenuous workload on the body makes it very hard mentally to continue to stay competitive. Professional athletes are normally touring the country and are away from their families and the life they worked for. This proves a career in professional sports is much more consuming than the average job. To avoid getting laid-off as athlete, you must completely immerse yourself into the workload and schedule of a professional. This extremely demanding schedule also begins at a very young age and cuts into one’s childhood. The average American career begins at age 21(Ator, P. 1), while an athlete must begin training as a full time job a decade earlier. The money is made years before the first paycheck comes in, unlike the average job. Athletes start young and finish young as well because of the extreme physical tax …show more content…
This 4,700% increase has resulted in extreme inflation of player contracts. The outstanding amount of profit in the professional sports business is the biggest factor for multi-million dollar contracts. The increase in willing buyers and willingness to continue to pay for high-price merchandise and tickets, has caused the inflation in the sports business. This illustrates that the consumers are solely to blame for the extravagant salaries of professional athletes. The money must be allocated fairly, and the players are the ones largely responsible for the revenue. The Milwaukee Bucks, a basketball franchise with 15 players on payroll, made 300 million dollars in profit, while the players were only paid 15% of the budget(Stein, P.1). The economics of professional sports is in favor of the athletes, and many could argue they deserve a higher share of the money they
The chances of becoming a professional athlete are very low, and the chances of getting injuries are high. Being an athlete could lead to you being unemployed. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, “Of the nearly 8 million students currently participating in high school athletics in the United States, only 480,000 of them will compete at NCAA schools” (Probability of competing beyond high school). Even though there are many student athletes, the number of spots for college sports is a lot less. This shows that you cannot rely on just your athletic skills because only a few athletes will make it, and become a college athlete. NCAA also found that of all the NCAA college football athletes only 1.6% become professional athletes (Estimated probability of competing in professional athletics). Even with the tiny chances of becoming a professional athlete, somehow you become a professional athlete, the chances of becoming injured are very high. The Bureau of Labor Statistics stated, “professional athletes were among five occupations that had more than 1,000 injuries per 10,000 workers. Athletes and sports competitors suffer more than 2,000 injuries per 10,000 workers” (Fitzgerald). This shows that after becoming one of the 480,000 NCAA college athletes and becoming some of the few professional athletes you still have a big chance of getting an injury that could end your career. Becoming a professional athlete is a very risky job that most student athletes might not even
The focus of professional sports has evolved from one of teamwork and camaraderie to one of avarice and greed. The specific problems in recent years that have stemmed off this overwhelming greed include exorbitant salaries, lockouts (or work stoppages) in professional sports, and the growing disparity among team payrolls. Most recognize these issues as major problems; however, others overlook the greed and see validity in the financial aspect of today's sports world. They argue that professional sports are thriving and should not be modified.
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.
If there’s one thing we dread in the summer more than the heat, it’s the afflicting sentiment that surrounds oneself when one is inhibited from experiencing the thrills of football for six long and gruesome months. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football is a part of many Americans’ Saturdays, but to fewer does it mean their lives. Recently coming under debate, many sporting fans and college athletes believe that players should be paid more than just tuition, room, board, and books. Two articles on this issue that bring up valid points worth discussing are Paul Marx’ “Athlete’s New Day” and Warren Hartenstine’s “College Athletes Should Not Be Paid.” From these articles I have found on the basis of logical,
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.
Another restraint to college athletes working is a time restraint. College athletes have very busy schedules they follow and when finished with their schedules they are left with very little free time. Student athletes are required to take a minimum of twelve credit hours to start the semester and required to pass at least nine credit hours by the end of the semester. With this standard having to be met, the athletes are spending hours studying and attending class. Besides from studying and attending class the athletes then have to go to practice. Going to practice and participating takes up about four to seven hours of the athlete’s day. After all of this is completed, the athletes are left with only a couple of hours for them to enjoy time with their friends or even to just relax and watch a movie. But, because these athletes are college students and do not receive any money for their commitments they are supposed to squeeze time in for work in. If athletes apply for a job they are limited to only a couple of hours a day to work. Also a large number of jobs request their employees to be available on the weekends.
However, what this argument does not take into account is that athletes have an abundance of pressure put on them that most non-athletes don’t ever experience. Hence, the saying, “go hard or go home”. A recent study emphasizes this fact as McClatchy notes, ”The researchers monitored mood levels of 465 collegiate athletes over three years and found 6.3 percent of the athletes met the criteria for clinically significant depression and 24 percent were considered ‘clinically relevant’ “ (2016). Studies like these prove that athletes are not blind to the idea of depression, but rather experience this disorder themselves. Anxiety has a huge role in depression. As sportsperson, there is constant effort to become an awe-inspiring player. As the stakes of the game raise, so does the anxiety. Some want a scholarship, some want to show off what they offer to a team that got a scholarship, and some are professionals. Regardless of whether it's grade school sport or a professional sport, failing at personal goals one set is down right depressing. Kearns and Hwang state that, ”While it’s not clear whether the source of challenges to a student-athlete's mental well-being is the same as those non-athletes, collegiate athletes are known to encounter unique stressor that the general population doesn’t have to deal with, such as the demands, relationships with coaches and missed scheduled classes” (2014). Pressure is something everyone experiences. However, athletes experience some of the same pressure that of non-athletes and then some. Being on a sports team is demanding to time and the idea of being “superior”. In athletics, coaches are everything. For example, If a coach likes how a person attributes as a team player, then that person will get a chance to shine. However, if the coach is not very fond of one, then the chances of opportunities are not very
Parents and teachers have preached that getting an education is important since students first entered Kindergarten. Although there is proof that athletes have endured success from both pathways, academics and athletics, it’s the financially safe and most logical choice for a student athlete to solidify his or her future after athletics. Becoming a professional athlete is a high-risk high reward situation but receiving a college education lowers that risk. A college education could potentially increase the knowledge further to enhance their athletic abilities intellectually also (Clary Dec. 13, 2009). Most of the time if the athlete is good enough to go pro it’s likely that they have athletic full–ride scholarships from major college programs. With college expenses the way they are today one might argue that this is a better deal especially if the chance of going pro remains after the athlete graduates from college. After retiring from...
The controversy of athletes being overpaid dates back to 1922, when well-known baseball player George “Babe” Ruth received $50,000 within the first year of his career. Ruth’s extensive wealth was bolstered by dozens of endorsements (Saperecom). As it is shown in figure 1, in the Fortunate 50 Tiger Woods takes the number one spot for highest paid athlete. Tiger’s salary for 2011 is $2,294,116 and like Babe Ruth, his endorsements exceed his salary earning $60,000,000 making his total $62,294,116 (Freedman). It’s crazy to think that 89 years ago professional athletes scarcely made more than the average person today. This is of course not counting the inflation that has occurred since the years which Babe Ruth played baseball.
The average division 1 football player devotes 43.3 hours per week to their sport giving them 3.3 hours more than a typical American work week. With those statistics, I think it’s safe to say that being a collegiate athlete requires more than a full time job. Trying to keep up with homework and attendance in class poses many challenges especially when the NCAA requires students to miss class for championship games, televised games, or other events that bring in revenue for the school. ...
Professional athletes play in front of an audience and get paid for it. Fans like seeing these athletes perform their best so much that they are willing to pay to watch. Professional athletes are performers or entertainers. They must perform well in each game or risk losing. If they don 't play well, they won 't last long. The work of professional athletes is hardworking and at times demanding. This is both physical and mental stress. They must be in the best possible shape. Athletes usually work out all year, both during the season and in the off season in order to be able to start for their team. They must be able to perform their jobs at the highest level at all times. Professional athletes also face the constant threat of injuries that could potentially end their careers. For these and other reasons, this kind of job can be quite stressful. During the season, athletes often practice more than 50 hours a week. They may have other duties related to the team as well for instance, going to meetings or watching films about the opposition. Athletes have to move to the place where their team is located. If the manager decides to trade them, they have to most likely to move again. Being a professional athletes they often have curfews and other restrictions on the things they do. They are not allowed to just leave the job at the office like workers in other jobs can. That’s why the athletes receive what they get, because of what they do when they need to
In contrast, the payroll for the entire Florida Marlins team for 2009 is about thirty-seven million. Only four million less than Alex Rodriguez’ salary alone” (2). If a team is already spending hundreds of millions of dollars, why would the threat of penalty for few million more make the team stop spending? The other three major professional sports have an actual salary cap in place, but each one is
A salary cap in all four major professional sports is unfathomably crucial. A salary cap is a set maximum or minimum amount of money that a team is allowed to spend on its players (Cushman 3). The four major professional sports are the National Football League or NFL, Major League Baseball or MLB, the National Basketball Association or NBA, and the National Hockey League or NHL (Cushman 1). Professional sports are often perceived as one of the last true bastions of capitalism, where player salaries are constrained only by what the market will bear. Since the 1990’s, however, [professional] sports leagues have grown increasingly concerned over the increase in player salaries, not only in terms of the absolute cost required to field a competitive
The salaries of athletes are extremely high for the effort that they put through. For example, basketball, baseball, and hockey athletes only compete for about 6-8 months a year. Then they have...
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.