The chance of becoming a professional athlete is well under two percent, but the chances of striking it rich once drafted in the pro leagues is off the charts. Those who play pro sports, on average, make more than five times the highest paying occupation in the United States on average.
Median salaries of pro athletes vary depending on the sport as well as the individual; however, they generally range from the average of 2.1 million per year to the highest paid athlete making 250 million per year. To put this in perspective with other respected careers, on average teachers only make $38,617 annually, lawyers average $118,160 per year, and doctors make $196,380 per year, according to USNews.
While the salaries of distinguished careers such as lawyers and doctors certainly allow for a comfortable lifestyle, they are dwarfed by even the base salaries of pro athletes.
In a world where value is often determined by monetary value, what message is this discrepancy sending? That we as a society value people who educate our youth, provide for the public, and save lives less than those who play a game?
What would happen if these invaluable people disappeared? The answer – a lot. Future generations would grow up uneducated, the legal system would be able to abuse the citizens without the intervention of people who understand the law, and people everywhere would perish without the medical assistance we have come to rely on. But regardless of how hard it may be to imagine a world without Sunday Night Football, society would still thrive without sports entertainment.
The pay of professional athletes depends on many factors. Each sport pays its athletes different salaries based on the position and worth to the team. Many sports are implementing payroll limits, but teams can easily circumvent these restrictions with signing bonuses and other methods of pay that aren’t technically salaries. Although their careers are often short lived due to the nature of the strenuous physical exertion, they can make more than the average american makes in their entire lifetime in the span of just a few years.
Fan support perpetuates the outrageous amounts of athlete compensation. The sports entertainment industry is one of the highest grossing industries in the world and is spurred on by the millions of avid fans who contribute to the corporations through the purchase of game tickets, season passes, overpriced sports game foods, and team merchandise.
Whether you are a die hard sports fan or couldn’t care less about the world of sports, I think we can all agree that paying athletes a little less dough wouldn’t do any harm. Athletes work incredibly hard for their careers and their efforts should by no means go unnoticed. I just think it is time to step back and evaluate whether the outrageously high salaries are a necessary part of the sports culture.
