Professional Athletes Overpaid Essay

College athletes generate millions of dollars for their schools each year, yet they are not allowed to be compensated beyond a scholarship due to being considered amateurs. College athletes are some of the hardest working people in the nation, having to focus on both school courses and sports. Because athletics take so much time, these student-athletes are always busy. College football and basketball are multi-billion dollar businesses. The NCAA does not want to pay the athletes beyond scholarships, and it would be tough to work a new compensation program into the NCAA and university budgets. College athletes should be compensated in some form because they put in so much time and effort, generating huge amounts of revenue.

Do you think professional athletes are overpaid? You might think they earn more than what they are worth for playing half a year, but athletes have many things which contribute to their salary. Some of these things include their earnings from endorsements, ticket sales, performance, merchandise, their social contributions, and TV ratings. Although there are many factors that contribute to their salary, professional athletes may be overpaid because as a society, we contribute to their success. So, in the end, part of the athlete’s salary comes from the people who support the sports in the first place. These are just some of the reasons why athletes are paid so much money.

Twenty-five million dollars made per year. Over one hundred fifty-four thousand dollars made per game. Over forty-seven thousand dollars earned per at bat. Sounds a little ridiculous, does it not? That is what current Texas Ranger shortstop Alex Rodriguez earns to play the game of baseball (azcentral.com). Baseball is a game that children have been playing in schoolyards and fields for the past one hundred years. It may not be a game anymore. On the Major League level it has become a business. This is where the problem starts.

What’s more intriguing is the fact that some question whether NBA players are overpaid. Nathan (22) indicated that overpayment in the NBA is problematic. Statistically some players are overpaid based on poor or sub-par performance. These players are highly sought after because they are proficient in one aspect of their game such as three point shooting or they may be a defensive force. However, these same specialized players may be a major liability in other areas i.e., the three point shooter may be a poor defender and the defensive force may be a poor free throw shooter. Whatever the issue, overpayment in the NBA is a concern. The reason for payment is to fairly compensate a player for his play. However, in the NBA it seems as if compensation is a reward for past performance and anticipated or expected future performance. However, past performance and expected performance may not be good indicators of fair compensation. NBA owners and general managers often over spend for a player that they feel will meet and immediate

College athletics have been incredibly profitable businesses for many years. With the advent of televised sporting events, the profit margin has increased exponentially. The Texas Longhorns’ football program alone grosses 104 million dollars annually (forbes.com). So, where is all that money going? Most of it goes right back to the school. The athletes who practice for endless hours and devote their lives to the sports get nothing but the satisfaction of winning. So, should Division One college athletes be paid? Division One athletes should be paid because they generate a significant amount of revenue for the school.

Pro athletes over the world are paid millions of dollars to play a sport, while people like doctors or policemen are risking their lives everyday are not even close to these athletes. I feel that pro athletes shouldn't be making that much money because of the fact they aren't really worth millions of dollars more than the rest of us. Athletes do deserve to make a living. They inspire and entertain us and they work hard. But, there are plenty of people out there who have hazardous and difficult jobs, but no one's handing them a colossal sum of money. Sure, we love to watch them for entertainment, but the sports they are playing are unimportant or our community because they aren't helping us in anyway.

A question that has been rising to the surface lately is “should college athletes be paid a salary?” One cannot get on the internet now a day and not see some kind of college sport headline. The world of college sports has been changed greatly the past decade due to college athletes. These athletes make insurmountable amounts of money and an unbelievable amount of recognition for the universities. The athletes that provide and make a ton of revenue for the colleges also spend a huge amount of their time practicing and staying committed to sports, and have to maintain good grades in school which requires quite a bit of overtime. Because college athletes generate massive amounts of revenue and put in massive amounts of personal time for

Michael Vick, quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, was convicted of operating a massive dog fighting ring and was sentenced to 23 months in jail in 2007.

Imagine a business that was bringing in millions of dollars every year in revenue solely off the employees, and the individuals who are working to bring in the money, do not see a cent of it. This is essentially how college athletes feel at their respective universities. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is seeing $11 billion dollars in revenue come through their doors annually, and not one penny goes back to the student athletes who, in reality, create that money. The money is passed down through the executives, directors and coaches, but none is given to the players. With putting in an average to 43 hours per week, which is more than the average work week, student athletes can be compared to

Should college athletes receive pay for what they do? You’ve probably seen this pop-up a million times, and thought about it. You’ve probably figured why should they? Aren’t they already receiving benefits from a full-ride scholarship? But then an athlete will get caught up in a scandal like Johnny Manziel, where he signed footballs for money.. then you think well why shouldn’t he receive that money? And you then contradict yourself. But shouldn’t they receive money from outside sources, and then the benefits from the school. Not get a salary from the school just the benefits they’re already receiving, and money from sponsors. Wouldn’t that make sense considering the money they’re making the school? According to an ESPN report Alabama

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

Similarly, the universities are making too much money as well. Schools like Alabama, Michigan, Florida, Ohio State, LSU, and Oregon make several million a year having the biggest stadiums and arenas selling out all of their home games. There have been speculations that schools like this spend just enough of its money just to seem like they don’t make very much. Alabama has one of the world’s best locker rooms and Michigan has one of the biggest stadiums in the world holding a capacity just under 110,000 (Corps). These amenities are greater than even professional sport team facilities and this may be because they spend their money so they don’t appear to make very much.

Today’s sport’s world is the biggest revenue making industry in the world. Different sports bring in different amounts of revenue but they are all enormous amounts. I myself love sports so there are a few sports that I contribute to financially also. Is it fair that professional athletes get paid millions of dollars to entertain us?

Are elite athletes/sports men or women being paid too much if not how are there high salaries justified, if so, why, and how could there money be put to better use?

In thirteen years of golf, Tiger Woods has made over a billion dollars making him the highest paid athlete ever. He has been the highest paid athlete now for five years in a row. We all know that many people in the world watch him play every weekend and admire him, but is the amount of entertainment he provides really worth 128 million dollars a year? Tiger is only one of many professional athletes who are extremely overpaid. “People forget that sports is entertainment,” says Leonard Armato, a sports agent. Although professional athletes provide entertainment for millions of viewers around the world, they are overpaid because the millions of dollars that they make could be distributed more evenly throughout society and go to things of a