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Do you think that professional athletes are overpaid?

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BreadFish
Posts: 7 - Karma: 145

Im doing my junior paper on if athletes are getting paid to much for what they do. So i was looking for some views from others about this topic

K+ for responses

Jan 22 2013 11:19AM
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.AR6rider.
Posts: 15976 - Karma: 8,799
Probably, but who really cares? It doesn't personally affect any of us and it's just entertainment.
Jan 22 2013 11:20AM
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Mr.Sloth
Posts: 5091 - Karma: 13,469
Like "conventional" sports? Football, baseball, ect? In a word: absolutely.
Jan 22 2013 11:21AM
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Laurent.
Posts: 10054 - Karma: 25,277
No, it isn't my money and I don't care how others spend it.
Jan 22 2013 11:23AM
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DockEllis
Posts: 1131 - Karma: 1,745
They make a ridiculous amount of money.

But there is a high demand for the skills and ability to perform at the level that they do, which dictates the free agent markets and their salaries. So no, I do not think they are overpaid.
Jan 22 2013 11:24AM
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freestyler540
Posts: 13045 - Karma: 18,292
That is a huge question. Athletes have various jobs and obligations. A lot of these guys have to satisfy sponsors and keep an image as well as a performance. For the amount of work most put in, I would say they earn well their salary. But, since its more of a passion, like artists, they do earn an excessive amount .
Jan 22 2013 11:25AM
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.AR6rider.
Posts: 15976 - Karma: 8,799
So, you're saying that people who participate in "non-conventional" sports, like Formula 1 racing, deserve the millions they make? Fernando Alonso makes like $40 million a year driving Ferraris for a living lol.
Jan 22 2013 11:26AM
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joemeer
Posts: 1 - Karma: 12
Its just insane what they get paid.
Jan 22 2013 11:30AM
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Mr.Sloth
Posts: 5091 - Karma: 13,469
No, I meant like skiing, biking, ect., but yeah fuck you Fernando. Just kidding, you need some crazy talent to drive F1. NASCAR, on the other hand...
Jan 22 2013 11:32AM
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Ryan.Street
Posts: 444 - Karma: 20
I think the best way to get the best athletes on a team is with dollars so I don't hate them for getting paid that much.
Jan 22 2013 11:36AM
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Laurent.
Posts: 10054 - Karma: 25,277
Ferrari thinks he is worth it, so it's fine by me, they pay for it from their own supply of cash.

This is what the other riders earn according to some random unverified source, from march 2012 in dollars.
(Do note that Raikkonen earns per championship point, they expected him to earn 50 points, he earned 207)..

01. F. Alonso 37m 02. L. Hamilton 19.77m 03. J. Button 19.77m 04. S. Vettel 12.3m 05. M. Webber 12.3m 06. F. Massa 12.3m 07. N. Rosberg 12.3m 08. M. Schumacher 9.9m 09. K. Raikkonen 6.18m 10. H. Kovalainen 4.94m 11. T. Glock 3.7m 12. K. Kobayashi 1.23m 13. R. Grosjean 1.23m 14. N. Hulkenberg 618,000 15. S. Perez 618,000 16. V. Petrov 618,000 17. P. de la Rosa 618,000 18. J. Vergne 495,000 19. D. Ricciardo 495,000 20. P. Maldonado 495,000 21. B. Senna 309,000 22. N. Karthikeyan 309,000 23. P. di Resta 247,000 24. C. Pic 185,000
Jan 22 2013 11:37AM
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seward
Posts: 5233 - Karma: 2,174
yes.

there are people on this earth who shit in the same puddle of water they will drink out of later that day.
Jan 22 2013 11:38AM
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theBearJew
Posts: 10951 - Karma: 15,633
The better question is why are people who dont even graduate college paid more than people who try and get our youth to college? And not just paid more, paid WAY more.
Jan 22 2013 11:42AM
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maximiliaan
Posts: 7710 - Karma: 2,849
Yeah they should have thought about it before they pooped in it
Jan 22 2013 11:43AM
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.AR6rider.
Posts: 15976 - Karma: 8,799
Entertainment. Who would want to watch 4 hours of someone sitting in a cubicle typing away on a computer? Just about nobody. Football/basketball/baseball, on the other hand...
Jan 22 2013 11:46AM
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theBearJew
Posts: 10951 - Karma: 15,633
I get why, just fundamentally it makes no sense. The most important jobs are the ones that get paid the worst. Teachers and Police.
Jan 22 2013 11:47AM
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KravtZ
Posts: 6637 - Karma: 2,629
Not a shot in hell. If anything, some high profile athletes are underpaid.

These guys bring an entertainment factor so high that is incomparable to anything else. People will pay 100 bucks a ticket just to see lebron play or whoever play. Regardless of the sport no way there under paid. There the highest caliber of athletes on the planet and deserve what they make. For them, going to college is just prep for pro athetics, in the same sense that a 4.0 student at a top unversity is going to go on and get recruited to make 100k+ out of school.
Jan 22 2013 11:47AM
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.AR6rider.
Posts: 15976 - Karma: 8,799
Oh, I'm not disagreeing that it's backwards, but I do understand the reason behind it, I guess.
Jan 22 2013 11:48AM
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feihlination
Posts: 8356 - Karma: 1,084
obviously, something went out of hand in some sports, but "market powers" make it legit? in a way yes and no. obviously, if you play a sport thats in TV, you probably can make bank. otherwise, its pretty tough to get rich. so on an overall scale, obviously not, but (some individuals in) certain sports definitely went overboard.


"market powers" are not infallible. there are bubbles and crashes. in stocks and in athlete salaries. so this doesnt mean that their pay is fair.


"its not my money" is also a tad wrong, since most teams receive money from TV deals, merchandise sales and tickets, all things which are funded by average joes in the end.



it really is a tough question, but referring to "market powers" isnt solving it. the same market powers let people pay 100 million for a painting, several dozens of years after it was painted and only a few years after someone says its pretty good. the same forces allow hedge fund managers to earn in the 7 digits, all the while they do literally nothing.

if i ask NS if they think that the S&P 500 CEOs are overpaid, their white-upper-class parents probably would say "no". but its pretty much the same thing.
Jan 22 2013 11:51AM
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theBearJew
Posts: 10951 - Karma: 15,633
This is America.. Nobody gives a fuck as long as someone makes a buck.
Jan 22 2013 12:01PM
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Spinoza
Posts: 12763 - Karma: 3,844
We pay the money to see the games, and they earn that money.
There's no 'right' amount of money to pay them, there's just THE amount of money that they EARN by attracting our business.
It's a product just like any other, this is like asking if the CEO's of Samsung are getting paid too much money
Jan 22 2013 12:01PM
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powderhound100
Posts: 2510 - Karma: 144
Have not read the above comments so sorry if this has already been said.

but according to economics, many pro athletes are actually underpaid. Big sports (football, basketball, soccer) bring in a ton of money.
Jan 22 2013 12:04PM
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Pklink04
Posts: 5608 - Karma: 392
Of course not! can you through a football like a pro? they are a small number of people with great talent, and they can also fill huge stadiums!
Jan 22 2013 12:05PM
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Huck_Norris
Posts: 11487 - Karma: 18,627

Very much so. 

But that said, I think teams would do well to educate their players in therealm of financial services and responsibility.  So many careers end only to result in t abankruptcy a few years down the road due to a shit financial understanding and "ballin out". 

Jan 22 2013 12:07PM
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bighomieflock
Posts: 2040 - Karma: 2,445
Exactly.

If you think about the revenue in the nfl brought in by tickets, television, and merchandise alone than you can't really argue that nfl players are overpaid. Does playing football at a high level warrant a higher pay than being a doctor? Probably not, but with the extreme demand for the NFL's products and the amount of revenue they take in, the pay is appropriate.
Jan 22 2013 12:09PM
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Dhane
Posts: 3866 - Karma: 1,722
Its the disease of spectator ship. Yes, they are overpaid and provide no real value to society other than entertainment. its disgusting the amount of money people are willing to literally throw away just to be entertained. I can't argue that talent deserves to be compensated, but to be paid millions simply to wear one logo over another or to drink this soda instead of that is absurd.
Jan 22 2013 12:10PM
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yuck
Posts: 8384 - Karma: 2,090
wow assuming thats in the states that sucks lol

my mom is a teacher in ontario, and i can safely say she makes more than double that. shes hit the salary cap for her job though. just saying that not all teachers get paid crappy, not trying to make some stupid claim about how much my mom makes lol
Jan 22 2013 12:11PM
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Lt-Aldo-Raine
Posts: 2309 - Karma: 120
If youre talking about high school and middle school teachers i think 40k suits them well. They teach the same shit and go over the same lectures year after year. And they get 3 months off with school breaks! Seems like an easy 40k.
Jan 22 2013 12:14PM
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Bogs
Posts: 4296 - Karma: 1,361
not saying i disagree, but i'm sure there are plenty of people use sports as a way to bond with friends and family and wouldn't describe it as a useless service.

don't really know where i stand on this. on the one hand, it does seem ridiculous that athletes make much more than teachers do. but on the other athletes do only have 10 years or so to cash in on their skills before they get too old and have to retire. and what they do is very difficult.
Jan 22 2013 12:16PM
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yuck
Posts: 8384 - Karma: 2,090
that sucks man :|

also regarding police, i was just on the Ontario public works salary disclosure page, which shows the salary of all ontario public workers who make > 100k/year , and there are a ton of cops on there. im sure most of them are more senior but positions range from constable up. if anyone is interested:

http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/publications/salarydisclosure/2012/

pretty interesting to see how much some government employees are paid.
Jan 22 2013 12:25PM
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Huck_Norris
Posts: 11487 - Karma: 18,627

Good God, this.  So much this. 

Anybody who thinks teachers aren't underpaid are fucking dick shitting morons that should kill themselves now.  Seriously.  If lawyers' and teachers' pay scales were swapped tonight, tomorrow would be an exponentially brighter day than today. 

Jan 22 2013 12:26PM
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Lt-Aldo-Raine
Posts: 2309 - Karma: 120
Im actually very proud of what i have accomplished financially. Just paid my second semester in cash.
Jan 22 2013 12:26PM
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yuck
Posts: 8384 - Karma: 2,090
hahah im sorry but thats hilarious, you make it sound like they couldnt possibly do any other job and they HAVE to play their favorite sport all the time for a living. pro athletes dont have it nearly as rough as most people who earn their money with actual labour and not a sports game.
Jan 22 2013 12:29PM
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Bogs
Posts: 4296 - Karma: 1,361
of course they don't have it as rough as most people, i never said they did, did i?

fact of the matter is that it takes so much time and dedication and training to become a pro athlete that, by the time they make it there, they really aren't trained to do anything else. a lot of them don't finish college, and even the ones that do aren't there to learn like most students. most of them don't have much better than a high school education, which, i hope you'll agree, isn't going to get you very far these days. why do you think so many of them end up bankrupt later on in life? they don't have the skills to manage their money properly, so they blow it all when they're young, and then they can't get hired into decent paying jobs after they retire
Jan 22 2013 12:51PM
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Dhane
Posts: 3866 - Karma: 1,722
If I had only ten years to make millions upon millions of dollars I certainly wouldn't consider that hard work. Especially to run around in tights tackling other men for 14 minutes a week. Jesus. Professional sports are a waste. Look at our athletes, skiers. Tom wallisch I assume makes enough to support himself, he travels and loves the ssport., that's healthy, all the while he is continuing school so when those ten years are up he can become a productive member of ssociety. Sports are a job, and granted not a very hard one if your passionate and talented. Just because some dude can jump a half inch higher than some other guy does not merit millions
Jan 22 2013 1:13PM
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.AR6rider.
Posts: 15976 - Karma: 8,799
Your jealousy is astounding. What other possible reason could you have to care so much about how much money a professional athlete makes? Then, you try to compare "mainstream" sports like football and basketball to skiing, which is just idiotic. Nobody gives a shit about freestyle skiing and skiing events bring in a fraction of the money that other sports do. Millions upon millions of people watch American football. They SHOULD be making more than a pro sker.
Jan 22 2013 1:18PM
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.tony
Posts: 321 - Karma: 74
This is an answer, but going away from "who cares" and "it doesn't effect us," since this is for a paper I would say they definitely do. There is a ton of talent, and even though they get paid more than many of us will ever make in a life time, it is worth it for some. This topic can go in a ton of different ways, hope you find something useful.
Jan 22 2013 1:26PM
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Spinoza
Posts: 12763 - Karma: 3,844
1. - 'being entertained' is what makes people happy.
2. - we should do things that make us happy.
3 .: therefore we should seek entertainment. (1,2)
4 - seeing live sports entertains us
5 .: therefore we should see live sports (3,4)

Who are you to say what people shouldn't spend their money on. It's not like people are starving so they can see a sports game instead. And don't try to tell me that people should give their money to charity, that's not a requirement of the world.
Jan 22 2013 1:27PM
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Bogs
Posts: 4296 - Karma: 1,361
again, i never said they had it harder than most people, did i? not sure where you guys keep getting this idea from.

and yeah, because it's not like athletes have to practice and train for hours on end every day or anything to get where they are. obviously all they do is play games and then sit on their asses the rest of the year drinking beer and eating cheetos.
Jan 22 2013 1:33PM
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zagfan5
Posts: 2608 - Karma: 144
this. 
Jan 22 2013 1:34PM
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HWW
Posts: 3084 - Karma: 3,436
*too much

no, i don't think they get paid too much. if you can get to that level of athleticism, then you can earn the same. the money is there for a reason.
Jan 22 2013 1:39PM
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jaredmdub
Posts: 2229 - Karma: 564
I feel like the dedication and training to be a pro athlete argument is irrelevant. Who's to say doctors, lawyers, teachers aren't spending the same amount if hours in the classroom or library?

It is def a entertainment, sponsor, etc kind of deal. They are in high demand and people are going to pay whatever to see them perform. How much are Super Bowl tickets again? Like 3k for an upper deck seat (I could be wrong, I didn't look it up).

Of course it kind of is disgusting to think about how much they are paid, but you also have to put into prospective the toll it takes on their bodies. Most athletes are going to have some kind of lifelong handicap whether it be constant knee problems, head trauma, or whatever else.

I'm not supporting either side but I do agree that some of the more needed occupations are underpaid. Teachers in my state (high school level) are in average paid under 40k a year. I think it's close to 37-38k but again, I haven't looked it up recently.
Jan 22 2013 1:47PM
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95959
Posts: 2765 - Karma: 377
Playing professional football is more difficult than any job you will ever have in your life. You have to have a freakish level of athleticism and work ethic to hack it even as a practice squad guy, and a lot of players sustain life altering injuries by the end of their careers. Not to mention the absurd amount of revenue these guys are generating. The billions upon billions of dollars created by professional sports would not exist without the athletes. So yes, they deserve a sizable piece of that pie.
Jan 22 2013 1:51PM
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theblackrod
Posts: 2162 - Karma: 575
didn't read nearly half the comments in thread...

But, you have to take into account the amount of time each athlete spends in the weightroom, onfield practicing, traveling, games, watching film, meetings, diet, time away from family, traveling, PR events, etc. and attempt to calculate an hourly rate and thier overall marginal rate of entertainment or marginal utility of entertainment or ability (just made that up, but go with it) and what they offer to the team/sport/fan. In total, yes its a little high compared to the president or average joe, but they devote a lot to be able to be that good at their respective sport. So it may be not nearly as bad as some people think
Jan 22 2013 1:57PM
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bighomieflock
Posts: 2040 - Karma: 2,445
/thread
Jan 22 2013 2:11PM
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OG_lock
Posts: 314 - Karma: 1,615
its not easy being an athlete, you can and will be replaced. You have to work so hard to continue to prove your self and handle so much criticism. So the pay is necessary, to as how much........ we'll never know
Jan 22 2013 2:12PM
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Toasty.
Posts: 6195 - Karma: 2,278
I think team sports like football soccer and baseball are overpaid. But extreme skiing people arent overpaid i think
Jan 22 2013 2:14PM
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DockEllis
Posts: 1131 - Karma: 1,745
NFL players generate over 6 billion dollars per year in revenue which is why they get paid the way they do.
Jan 22 2013 2:22PM
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yuck
Posts: 8384 - Karma: 2,090
alright alright i know what you mean so lets settle on some even ground here. being a pro athlete requires skill and training but not nearly the time or labour involved in most other lines of work. and the pay is fucking insane
Jan 22 2013 2:27PM
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CrotchKiller
Posts: 9037 - Karma: 6,940
lol, wow.
Jan 22 2013 2:27PM
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Casey
Posts: 7784 - Karma: 23,463
Compared to what the owners make? Fuck no.
Jan 22 2013 2:27PM
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