Skip to main content

Athlete's Wages - The Price WE Pay For World-Class Sport

In 2014, Michael Jordan became the first billionaire athlete with his combined assets reaching an estimated $1.9 billion. Since then, athletes such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Tiger Woods and Michael Schumacher have all joined the billionaire club as a reward for their decades of hard work and sacrifice to become some of the greatest sportsmen of all time. However, no matter what year you choose, the world always seems to be in some sort of economic crisis and every day people lose their livelihoods so that people further up the food chain can live a little more lavishly. Professional athletes are treated like gods whilst the mortals within the general public continue their daily struggle to make ends meet. The worst part? The deeper you dig, the more outrageous this illusion becomes.

Let's start with some infamous salaries from this year alone (before endorsements and sponsorship):  

NBA: Average Salary - $7 million 

         Highest Paid - Stephen Curry ($43 million per year) 

NFL: Average Salary - $860,000

         Highest Paid - Patrick Mohames ($45 million per year) 

F1: Average Salary - $9.2 million 

      Highest Paid - Lewis Hamilton ($40 million per year) 

Football: Average Salary - $3 million 

              Highest Paid - Lionel Messi ($90 million per year) 

Now, have these people worked hard for this money? Of course yes. Do they deserve it? Maybe. Have they had enough? Absolutely not! 

Athletes and their agents are constantly on the hunt for wage increases and bonuses for the most microscopic successes. However, when their salaries are then compared to others, the absurdity really starts to build: 

President of the USA: Average Salary - $400,000 per year (even if you're an idiot)

Prime Minister of UK: Average Salary - £161,401 per year (even if you **** it up)

Police Officer (UK): Average Salary - £40,000 per year 

NHS Nurse: Average Salary - £33,000 

Teacher (Primary): Average Salary - £35,000

Now, I'm not saying athletes don't undergo any types of stress or worry. After all, these people still have families and people to provide for. But I think we can all agree, the jobs listed above carry a little more weight in terms of making the world go round and they must perform their roles and responsibilities whilst earning a fraction of what most athletes earn in a week. However, with the sports industry worth an estimated $500 billion and with no end in growth in sight, athletes wages will continue to flurish and force the world further into a downward economic spiral. 

The answer to this is obviously to reduce athlete wages. However, in this day and age, that reality is just too far fetched and as the sports industry continues to grow and salaries continue to soar, kids will not grow up dreaming of sinking game-winning shots in Madison Square Garden or scoring in a World Cup Final, but instead will dream about the colour of their Bentley or the location of their 3rd holiday home. This is the reality that faces the modern sporting world and is something that must be corrected in order for sanity to prevail. 







Labels:

Comments

  1. Godderzz99January 6, 2021 at 11:00 AM

    Couldn’t agree more!
    Even then priminister and the president are paid too much!
    Great read

    ReplyDelete
  2. Stevo 57January 7, 2021 at 2:28 AM

    Smashed it bridge !
    The cost of a ticket to see our heroes is impossible for the true fans to afford and twin that with the cost of Sky !! No way
    It’s driven by greed and close to impossible to take the family, most have to rely on highlights or news clips ??
    Something has to change !

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Greatest Rivals - John Stockton vs Magic Johnson

Welcome to Greatest Rivals! Each Wednesday, this page will pitch two great rivals against each other to finally find out who the real winner is! Over the coming weeks, this page will cover many great rivalries, from the glory of el Clasico to the back and forth action of some of Wimbledon's finest performers.  Wednesday 10th March - John Stockton vs Magic Johnson  As point guards go, John Stockton and Magic Johnson are poles apart. Stockton is the epitome of what a point guard should be; the ever-running engine that is an extension of a coaches vision. On the other hand, Magic is ultimately the most diverged the point guard position has ever become. At 6'9", he produced entire highlight reels that other point guards couldn't even replicate on the latest 2K. Despite their differences, each player produced a career worthy of the Hall of Fame, but when put head to head, who comes out on top?  John Stockton is at the very top of a long list of Hall of Famers that didn'...
1 comment
Read more

Extending the Possible - The Introduction of the 4-point line in the NBA

Since 1951, the NBA has undergone many era-defining changes. Through the evolution of its players, we have seen greatly different play styles ranging from the overly physical approach of the '80s and '90s to the rise of small ball. Remarkably, since the introduction of the 3-point line in 1979, no significant change has been made to the NBA that has made such a notable difference in how the game of basketball is played. So what's next? Well, with the likes of Steph Curry, Trae Young and Damian Lillard extending the limits of shooting ability with every passing season, something new is on the horizon; the introduction of the 4-point line. Since it's an introduction in 2018, the discussion over the addition of a 4-point line in the NBA is something that has been highly controversial. It is no question that the 3-point shot is at the centre of every NBA coaches gameplan in 2021 and is a tool that, if used effectively, can be the very difference between winning and losing a...
1 comment
Read more

Time’s Up For Arteta - Conte or Zidane To Follow?

The position of manager at Arsenal has been a cursed one ever since Arsene Wenger’s retirement. Those who have followed the great Frenchman have seen nothing but mediocre performances and mid table finishes behind the likes of West Ham. Despite initial excitement, the addition of Mikel Arteta hasn’t brought any additional glory to London’s north end and has managed only two 8th place finishes and a FA cup trophy. Now for a mid-table team this would be acceptable, but for a side who is supposedly within the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’, it hardly stands up against the achievements of Arsenal’s rival clubs. The need for change is severe, but the next manager to run through the gauntlet will certainly have their hands full.  As of now, there are two big name managers on the market, Antonio Conte and Zinedine Zidane. Both men have had great success in their managerial careers, combining for 15 trophies between them, but in terms of style and philosophy they couldn’t be more different....
Post a Comment
Read more