do professional athletes get paid too much?
601815
Yes.  And how can the teams pay the athletes?  FROM US FANS!
656219
i'm a beantown boy, so its all about the red sox around here. i wish that the teams had a league determined spending limit for their player salaries. imagine how much better the games would be if the teams were more evenly matched!
629484
i agree with you, smoke and star29. those players are getting payed millions, but they should be able to say whats on their minds without getting fined for it. its only their opinion and even though i dont think they should get paid as much as they do, i still think they should be able to voice their opinions without getting in trouble for it. i know the nba has rules and stuff about this, but they should be able to voice their opinion shouldn't they?
153912
absolutly, the any league with a salary cap shouldn't have to offer a guaranteed contracts. Besides these players should be paid what they earn. If they aren't earning their money they shouldn't get it.
1100337
It varies from person to person, all depending on their contract.  Most teams don't have a set bonus for each player.  Some players have a clause saying they'll get an extra month or two salary, others may get no bonus at all, at least officially.
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.
831093
Yeah, but NFL careers are on average only 4 seasons. Body takes a pounding. I doubt anyone calculates pay per hour/minute...besides you are just talking game time. NFL players practice and study film way more per week than NBAers. Plus off-season they have a zillion workouts from actual working on their own to mini-camps etc.
118827
There are a couple professional players that make several hundred thousand a year.  The very best players can add to that a bit with the few endorsements reserved for the very top players.
165551
i totally agree with you,i think teachers and the military dont get the pay they deserve, theres a reason those athletes can play their sports for a living in our free country and im pretty sure that goes back to thanking the military for risking their lives, and the teachers who taught that athlete how to write their signature.
520693
Depends on the contract of the individual player.\n\nPLAYER SALARY (US$) \n1. Kerry Wood 12,000,000 \n2. Aramis Ramirez 11,000,000 \n3. Derrek Lee 9,416,667 \n4. Greg Maddux 9,000,000 \n5. Carlos Zambrano 6,500,000 \n6. Juan Pierre 5,750,000 \n7. Ryan Dempster 4,333,333 \n8. Michael Barrett 4,333,333 \n9. Jacque Jones 4,033,333 \n10. Mark Prior 3,650,000 \n11. Scott Eyre 3,200,000 \n12. Bob Howry 3,000,000 \n13. Glendon Rusch 2,750,000 \n14. Todd Walker 2,500,000 \n15. Neifi Perez 2,500,000 \n16. Jerry Hairston Jr. 2,300,000 \n17. Scott Williamson 2,000,000 \n18. Henry Blanco 1,500,000 \n19. John Mabry 1,075,000 \n20. Wade Miller 1,000,000 \n21. Will Ohman 610,000 \n22. Michael Wuertz 355,000 \n23. Matt Murton 337,000 \n24. Ronny Cedeno 336,000 \n25. Freddie Bynum 327,500 \n26. Angel Pagan 327,000 \n27. Sean Marshall 327,000 \nTotal Team Salary:  94,841,166 \n\nDivide the players salary by 162 (number of games) and that is what they make per day.  For example, Kerry Woods makes 12,000,000 a year divided by 162 games come out to about $74,074.07 per day.\n\nIn other words, he makes more in one day than most people work for in one year.
888069
Geeze... respect .... Hmmmmm?\nNo, you can't respect any professional sports team when you see the salaries they make.  I enjoy watching but respect is a whole nother thing\n:-)
1004582
I used to work at a bank and I knew of a few baseball players that had accounts at the bank I worked at.  They all got paid every two weeks, even during the offseason.  The pay wasn't always the same leading me to believe that stipends or per diems were included as well, possibly some incentive bonuses as well.
557669
Mate I honestly don't know the average salary of a US player is perhaps 90,000 US$ or less but in europe club level pros are paid 180,000 US$ wages per week.
701640
Anybody earning over half a million annually to entertain (football, hollywood, whatever) gets paid too much. I don't care how hard they work, blah blah blah, they are siphoning off money from the middle class...and they should feel ashamed.
622706
When you make all that money just to play a game, and millions of people watch sports, before long you get to thinking they are just there to see you play. You get the big head, and your ego goes crazy. Same thing that happens with those overpaid actors in Hellywood. It's all ego and sinfull pride.
145906
NBA players are paid yearly. The amount varies from contract to contract and depends on how many years is stated in the contract.
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.