are professinal athletes paid too much?
115643
Yes, especially people like Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown and Shaquille O'Neal\nBut Kobe Bryant? No Way
575672
basketball players make a little more than football players, because of their collective bargaining agreement with the league allows players to make a certain amount.  \n\nNBA Salary (rookies $398,762-$473,604) | (veterans $641,768-$1,352,181) the salaries rise each and every year\nhttp://www.insidehoops.com/minimum-nba-salary.shtml\n\n "Average NBA salary is $4.9 million (U.S.), the highest of any major North American sports league. The collective bargaining agreement came up for agreement in 2005 but NBA Commissioner David Stern decided to make no attempt to implement a hard cap or any other major changes, to the dismay of many commentators who felt that changes were long overdue and that the NBA could take advantage of the NHL's momentum." (Wikipedia - Salary Cap)\n\n\nNFL Salary \nThe minimum salary for an NFL player is $235,000 in his first year, and rises after that based on the number of years in service. Exhibition game minimum is $10,000. These numbers are set by contract between the NFL and the players' union, the National Football League Players' Association. These numbers are of course exceeded dramatically by the best players in each position.\n\nYears Experience Minimum Salary \n0 $260,000 \n1 $305,000 \n2 $380,000 \n3 $455,000 \n4-6 $540,000 \n7-9 $665,000 \n10+ $765,000 \n\n(Wikipedia - NFL, National Football League)
544446
I think all professional athletes should get paid a lot LESS money! Don't get me wrong, I understand their career's are much shorter, so they need to earn enough to live off for the rest of their lives sometimes (barring a career in management or commentary) but come on, Ballack is now earning £120,000 PER WEEK! That's 6 times my annual salary every week....\nThe girls should be more on a par with men, but that ammount is obscene, nobody, athlete, politician, business man or otherwise should be making so much money.
478795
They make so much because we live in a society that glorifies fame, and drools at watching others make millions.....sadly, the common person has no drive to make that money themselves. So in turn, they find solace over personal inadequacies by watching others.\n\nDon't get me wrong, I like watching the occasional game too....but as a lover of athletics....I couldn't give a damn about the players...and their stats...and all that junk.\n\nBesides, I'm also not a dead man walking that has no dreams...I'll make their money too, it just takes time.
1063141
Why can't they be paid like the rest of do? I mean, sure they are good at sports but everyone is good at something. Shouldn't we all get paid millions because we do what we are good at? I would love to get a million dollars for helping people get their ged and improving their life but I know that I won't get it.\n\nEnough ranting.
511943
For playing or watching? You can't just pay to play with the pros if your asking that.  If you mean how much to watch if depends where, major or not, whose playing.  If you have all of those things it will be alot more than if it is a none major and no big names are playing.
811147
it is a sport! the profesionals can make good money out of it.\n\nkby\n\n.
666470
Let's face it..nobody's getting rich playing cricket now are they? Your question could apply to footballers, golfers, tennis players, etc. etc. Outstanding athletes in any sport are a marketing tool for sporting goods companies to sell more stuff, and I think if an athlete has the kind of talent it takes to catch the eye of these companies then they should be compensated for it.
845035
i think they get paid way too much. i do the exact same stuff just for fun and i'm not a multi millionaire. getting paid millions of dollars to hit a ball with a stick basically...
1118319
I dont think average is a good way to estimate how much they make..  track is similar to swimming and other individual sports that are only marketable once every 4 years.. and so top athletes that are good enough to score sponsors or win price money would earn big bucks.. the rest.. below a college graduate average
335209
This truly is a good question, in the spirit of getting paid to play a game, yes they are overpaid as compared to someone who is actually doing something important, Teachers, Police officers, doctors. However, when you think about the obscene amounts of money being made by professional sports leagues, without the players none of this would be possible, so they do deserve the money that they actually are bringing into the games they play. You should see a great movie called "Eight Men Out" and you'll see how greedy the owner's used to be. Mickey Mantle one year won the triple crown in baseball, that is a rare award, it is for the player who had the most home runs, most runs batted in and highest batting average. He was rewarded by a cut in his salary, even though his numbers were the best, they were lower than the year before, hence the pay cut. It's all relative.
435757
Yes. Of course the millions that are paid to these athletes is mind boggling. And what have the been the results of all that? Recklessness, drug abuse, poor and underachievement and many other unacceptable behaviors.
479328
There are certainly many athletes who seem to have no idea how to handle the riches that come with their success--and act like it.\n\nHowever, you put this question in the baseball category, and it does seem as though fewer of those players are quite as conspicuous with their wealth.  Then again, there are very few baseball players with big contracts who are just out of high school.\n\nAn increasing number of athletes are wisely permitting experienced business and money managers to handle their finances.  They often incorporate players into businesses to obtain tax advantages, invest their incomes, pay out allowances for the player, his family, and whoever else may have their hand out.
988746
This is only true for those players playing in the US, those playing outside ie in the European Leagues are in similar pay scales. All are conditional to what the team they are playing for and what they think they are worth. The US based players get paid what they are worth based on the market. When the sport becomes as popular as basketball and baseball and the teams start making the same kind of money the salaries of US based players should increase.
757892
YES!! Not just football either. professional athletes get paid an obscene amt of money...oh, are they saving lives and changing the world?  Doctors earn their salaries.  Nurses,policemen, and all civil employees need a bump up.  No family of an American soldier should have to be on PUBLIC ASSISTANCE in order to care for their families.  Something is egregiously off center here.\n\nlike I said...obscene.
537954
NBA players make a lot more than NFL players.  Plus the money is guaranteed while no one in the NFL has guaranteed contracts.
220837
It's what the market bears.  There is only so many people that can play professional sports at a time.  Since people keep buying tickets to games and merchandice, the players can demand what they want for pay and the owners are willing to pay it