why should professional athletes be paid less

However, some may argue that while teachers only provide service to a single classroom, superstar athletes are entertaining fans all around the world, enticing people with a feeling of relaxation and excitement. This supports the notion that some athletes get too caught up with how much they are earning and might begin to lose focus of why they wanted to play in the first place. Those who need reminding that women generally get paid less than men for doing the same work got it on Tuesday. Why College Athletes Should be Paid | HuffPost Sports 4. The most important thing here is that we are moving forward, and we are moving forward together.. Are professional athletes paid too much? The answer may surprise you Another argument is that women's national teams for sports like soccer have far more success than the men's national team. [46], The University of North Carolina became the first school to organize group licensing deals for student athletes in July 2021. Fox Sports say the pool-play game versus Chile had record viewership for a Women's World Cup group-stagematch. In simpler terms, that means that despite currently being recognized as one of the biggest busts of all time, and even if he were to get injured tomorrow and never play again, he will still have $31 million in the bank. Why professional athletes are actually underpaid - Sports Illustrated How do you think stakeholders, such as fans, sponsors, tournament organizers, politicians and athletes, should engage with the fight for equal pay in womens sports, if at all? Forbesreleased its annual look at the worldshighest-paid athletesthis month, and the top 100 exemplified the stark contrast in pay between professional male and female athletes. 3. Students, read the entire article, then tell us: What is your reaction to the settlement? For example, a student athlete will be compensated for the sale of a jersey featuring their name, or for a sponsorship deal in which they appear wearing a UNC jersey. All rights reserved. With a new decade ahead, we are taking a look back at how athlete compensation changed over the past ten years, and the obvious trends of wage equality in sports. However, do these athletes really deserve all that money? Why Are Professional Athletes Overpaid - 1387 Words | Cram 2. Do you think professional athletes are overpaid? And in 2019, CBS Sports made a deal to pay for additional games. As John Thelin, PhD, Research Professor of History of Higher Education & Public Policy at the University of Kentucky, explained, paying salaries to players will increase [athletic] program expenditures without necessarily increasing revenues [and] a handful of powerful programs will stand to gain in competition for athletic talent simply because they can afford to pay salaries. 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Of the 73,712 NCAA football players, about 16,380 are draft-eligible and 254 will be drafted, meaning about 1.2% of college football players will go pro. While President Obama is hard at work reviving the economy, the unproven rookie in the MLB is earning way over that figure. It's truly a pity that none of these true heroes are given the same recognition by society as athletes such as Brett Favre or Michael Jordan are given. Take, What The Hell Are They Thinking? 2021, the NCAA was composed of [n]early half a million college athletes [who] make up the 19,886 teams that send more than 57,661 participants to compete each year in the NCAAs 90 championships in 24 sports across 3 divisions. [1] [2], The NCAA is seemingly the final authority to decide whether college athletes should be paid to play college sports. They save peoples' lives every day, should have more recognition than they are given, and deserve better pay. Aside from federal, state and city taxes and pension, which everyone pays, players also need to pay agent fees, a $10,000 union due, and aJock Taxfor each of their away games, among others. [ 3] Have you been following this story, which involves some of the countrys biggest soccer stars? 4. A second-year All-Star can be paid just above minimum salary. Want more writing prompts? 69 other head mens basketball coaches were paid more than $1 million annually, and another three more than $500,000. According to the NCAA, the organization provides more than $3.6 billion in athletic scholarships annually to more than 180,000 student-athletes. Divided equitably, each student would receive about $20,000 per year. Given athletes large salaries, more youngsters want to become professional athletes but for the big money, not for the love of the game. Men earn 20 percent more than women on average, a difference that would require a female to work 10 more years to make up. Anyone can read what you share. However, the past decade has seen some attempts to narrow that gap. Adding insult to sometimes literal injury, college athletes are also frequently denied the NCAAs other form of compensation: a quality education. 2017 Perspective-Media LTD. All Rights Reserved, THERE ARE AT LEAST TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY. However, the men still come out ahead internationally. U.S. Soccer appears to have gotten the message, and the two sides will pursue mediation after the World Cup to resolve the gender-discrimination lawsuit instead of going to a courtroom. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The top ten highest-paid women in 2019 were all tennis players when a decade ago the top-ten list included NASCAR, ice skating and golf. But one of the biggest moves was the WNBAs 2020 community bargaining agreement. Sixty percent of those polled said that salaries should be paid to all athletes, and 38% said salaries should only be paid to athletes playing sports that bring in revenue. For the first time, the average salary reached six figures. Should women athletes earn the same as men? The - The Conversation This reason is why the athletes should get high salaries, because they travel far, leave their families and risk their life. What do you think of U.S. Soccers pledge to equalize pay between its mens and womens national teams? In team sports, its more difficult to stand out, says Scott Minto, the head of the MBA sports program at San Diego State University. In 2019, little had changed: soccer star Lionel Messi made 125% more than tennis star Serena Williams. As of 2014, a Sergeant of U.S Military who had two years of experience made $26,172. This is about small changes the league can make that will impact the players. This cycle goes as follows: the fewer women who have access to sports, the fewer women have interest in sports, the fewer women who will become professional athletes, the fewer fans, the fewer commercial opportunities for revenue, the less interest in ad buys and investment in women's sport, the less money there is for female athlete salaries, Most players have no real amateur sport option and those who would rather not go to college have no other established feeder system to make it to a professional team. However, the male athletes serving the national team are disproportionally paid more, according to lawyers representing the group of female players. You are being redirecting to Scholastic's authentication page For more support materials,visit our Help Center. More than half the people in the United States make less than $62,000 a year. How much should a teams record of winning or losing major competitions matter? So let's take a look at the reasons why professional female athletes don't deserve equal pay. NBA players receive about 50% of the leagues revenues. Should Professional Athletes Be Paid? - 562 Words | Bartleby Should Brady be called the best quarterback in NFL history? This trend holds a significant effect on players salaries: It helps some athletes get oversized contracts (what doPatrick Mahomes teammates think about his $503M contract?) What The Hell Are They Thinking? Was this the outcome you expected? Until 2018, the mens team qualified for the World Cup every year since 1990, but has not won a championship. Tuition shortfalls amount to thousands of dollars per year and leave about 85% of players to live below the poverty line. But between particular sports, there are vast discrepancies in pay for men and women, ranging from tennis, where pay is comparable, to basketball, where players are in entirely different zip codes. Two sportswriters weigh in. Explain your answer(s). The WNBA did recently add a multi-year partnership with CBS Sports Network to air 40 games next season, and the new pact is in addition to the leagues existing deal with ESPN. For instance, during each season of any professional sport, there are away games that keep players from their families. While MLS and the NWSL have only been around for a few decades, the United States has fielded national soccer teams in World Cups since 1930 (US Mens National Team) and 1991 (US Womens National Team). The amount of money that team owners are willing to pay franchise players often comes at the expense of the other players. Considering athletes spend time commuting to training and competition, female athletes are at 200 per cent greater risk of injuring their neck if even a minor car accident happens. ProCon/Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. TakeAlbert Haynesworthof the Washington Redskins. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard teams would likely pocket the difference. The average American will retire between the ages of 65-75, but a professional athlete will last a lot less in their career than someone who sits at a desk all day. are thriving at the highest levels, all higher percentages than their non-athlete peers. [email protected], 2023 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Some of it comes from fans who shell out big bucks for costly game tickets and hugely overpriced snacks at stadiums and arenas, and for hoodies and hats with their favorite teams logo. Finally, what really puzzles me, is how athletes get upset when athletes say that millions of dollars won't be able to support him and his family, and that they need more. With ticket pricesgradually rising, not to mention merchandise price tags, sports fans might feel resentful toward funding overpaid athletes. By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails and calls from a representative of Adelphi University, which may include the use of automated technology. For example, players in the National Womens Soccer League make only between $16,000 and $44,000 a season. Professional Athletes Are Overpaid - The Odyssey Online In 2019, FIFA proposed doubling the womens prize pool to $60 million in the 2023 World Cup, and announced that they would spend $1 billion on womens soccer over a period of four years. List two to three ways. It wasnt an easy process to get to this point for sure, Cindy Parlow Cone, U.S. Soccers president, said in a telephone interview. [27], About 25% of Division I athletes reported food poverty in the past year and almost 14% reported being homeless in the past year. Firefighters can abide in the fire station for up . Usually, a team has one franchise player, who makes a huge salary, arguably more than his projected value, since he drives the teams business profitability forward. Professional Athletes Should Not Be Paid Too Much Money Without the players, the leagues wouldnt exist. Analyze the argument that paying athletes would ruin college sports from Cody J. McDavis, former college basketball player. Professional athletesare making too much money in a society where salaries and wages are traditionally based on the value of one's work. The EEOC never publishes a response, but the players received a 30% raise among other benefits in 2017. How should the NCAA (or another governing body) balance college athletes sport, educational, and financial interests? [20], College athletes, arguably the stars of the show who earn millions year after year for the well-paid NCAA executives, coaches, and staff, were forbidden by the NCAA from not only being paid for their work-, but from seeking other related compensation such as endorsement deals. How do you think other governing bodies should address the pay disparities that exist between male and female players in many sports? (HISTORIC) See how different sides see the same key events in ongoing conflicts. Mike Trout, a centerfielder for the Los Angeles Angels, gets $35.8 million a year. While the highest paid athletes draw more attention, the truth is thatmost athletes are fairly paid. They claim, for example, that women can earn a . Two Sides to Every Coin: Are Professional Athletes Overpaid? Source: Womens National Basketball Players Association (2019, 2020). Whether professional players receive salaries or individual prize money from competitions, male athletes in basketball, golf, soccer, baseball and tennis make anywhere from 15% to nearly 100% more than female athletes. With leagues and team owners making such massive sums, the athletes who put their bodies on the line for their sports deserve a large share of it. @Aussie7s champs at Sao Paulo, awesome signs on #RoadToRio. 3, 2021), National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Facts: Tuition Costs of Colleges and Universities, nces.gov, 2019, NCAA, Finances of Intercollegiate Athletics, ncaa.org (accessed Mar. Both are undoubted NBA legends, but which of the two has been a bigger winner? That equaled the prize money for a single winning mens team a decade earlier. The gender pay gap is still a big problem. The truth is, some professional athletes make huge salaries because millions of people are happy to pay money to see those players make the amazing catchesand breathtaking plays we love to watch. But, while the level of pay varies from sport to sport, a look at five popular American sports shows a common reality: female athletes consistently make less than men. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. The players long battle with U.S. Soccer, which is not only their employer but also the sports national governing body, had thrust them to the forefront of a broader fight for equality in womens sports and drawn the support of fellow athletes, celebrities, politicians and presidential candidates. That changed with a new community bargaining agreement, reached in January of 2020, which agreed to a 50-50 split and brought WNBA players in line with their male counterparts. Their top-ranked masters is offered online and on campus, and its flexible curriculum allows students to take a general track or choose from specializations in sport marketing or collegiate athletic administration. The most marketable tennis players made four times as much from endorsements and appearance fees as they did from prize money over the last year. 3, 2021), John Thelin, Paying College Athletes, insidehighered.com, Feb. 12, 2018, NCAA, Estimated Probability of Competing in Professional Athletics, ncaa.org, Apr. The average American woman earns 81% of what an average American man earns, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is true that on average, female athletes are paid far less than male athletes. Explain your answer. The team filed a complaint against U.S. Soccer in March that states: Female WNT players would earn a maximum of $99,000 or $4,950 per game, while similarly situated male MNT players would earn an average of $263,320 or $13,166 per game. The players claim they face discrimination when it comes to where and how often they play, how they train and travel, the medical treatment and coaching they receive, and obviously their salaries. Sports betting is now legal in the majority of US states. U.S. Soccer Says Women Don't Deserve Equal Pay Because They Have Less Skill When asking people whether they think athletes are paid way too much money, most agree with me. Jim Treleaven: Should College Athletes be Paid? And ever since that 1984 decision, courts have been relying on that language to try to interpret antitrust law applies to all NCAA restrictions, including player compensation. [15], On June 21, 2021, the US Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the NCAA cannot ban certain payments to student athletes under the premise of maintaining amateurism. The WNBA generates roughly $25 million. 31, 2021 as the NCAA March Madness tournament heads into Final Four games just days later on Apr. entertainment, news presenter | 4.8K views, 28 likes, 13 loves, 80 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from GBN Grenada Broadcasting Network: GBN News 28th April 2023 Anchor: Kenroy Baptiste. We would pay athletes because when President Theodore Roosevelt helped create the NCAA in 1906, he had no idea what it would grow into. player was $4.1million. Money is not everything, and being money-hungry can be harmful in the long run. Next, some MLB players will earn more in one game than the average American household makes in 10 years. In 2018, the average annual salary for an M.L.B. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/25/learning/what-should-be-done-about-the-gender-pay-gap-in-sports.html. However, in 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Fair Play Act that allows college athletes to hire agents, sign endorsement deals, and be paid for the use of their likeness. When basketball player Stephen Curry signed a new contract with the Golden State Warriors in 2017,jaws dropped at his salary: a whopping $201million over five years. [34], The NCAA noted, [p]rofessional opportunities are extremely limited and the likelihood of a high school or even college athlete becoming a professional athlete is very low. Tiger Woods, along with many other professional athletes, certainly think so. If you are interested in equalizing athlete pay, or if you want to push for better compensation for players overall, consider a career in sport management. ], ProCon.org, "Paying College Athletes Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Paying College Athletes Top 3 Pros and Cons. For example, fair market value for a University of Texas football player was $513,922. For much of the decade, the US Womens National Team and the U.S. Soccer Federation have clashed over equal pay. The top players in these leagues earn huge salaries that most Americans can only dream of. While I do understand that making it into the pros is not an easy thing to do, and thatit takes a tremendous number of hours of hard work and dedication every day to earn a job in professional sports, these people do nothing more than entertain the general public. The rest of it gets spread out to the coach, who makes $8 million a year, to the assistant coaches, who make as much as a half-million dollars a year. To learn more about the Adelphi University MS in Sport Management program, Ruth S. 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They give out 13 scholarships. Besides, not all athletes make millions of dollars. 7, 2018, Steve Berkowitz, NCAA President Mark Emmert Credited with $2.7 Million in Total Pay for 2018 Calendar Year, usatoday.com, June 2, 2020, USA Today, NCAA Salaries, usatoday.com, Nov. 17, 2020, Ian McMahan, Athletes Are Paying the Physical Price of Playing College Sports, si.com, Oct. 31, 2017, Azmatullah Hussaini and Jules Lipoff, Op-Ed: COVID-19 Is Making the NCAAs Exploitation of Student-Athletes Even More Obvious, latimes.com, June 23, 2020, Meghan Walsh, 'I Trusted 'Em': When NCAA Schools Abandon Their Injured Athletes, theatlantic.com, May 1, 2013, Jon Solomon, The History Behind the Debate over Paying NCAA Athletes, aspeninstitute.org, Apr. Physical injury can leave professional athletes handicapped or disabled for the rest of their lives; NFL players who experiencemultiple concussionscansuffer from progressive degenerative diseasethat causes dementia and depression. The truth is, some professional athletes make huge salaries because millions of people are happy to pay money to see those players make the amazing catches and breathtaking plays we love to watch. Consider that ten of the biggest outdoor sports stadiums in the world (excluding auto racing venues) are American college football stadiums. The top WNBA salarywas $117,500 last season, compared with $37.4 million in the NBA. players make about $500,000. Whether professional players receive salaries or individual prize money from competitions, male athletes in basketball, golf, soccer, baseball and tennis make anywhere from 15% to nearly 100% more than female athletes. The bulk of that figure is back pay, a tacit admission that compensation for the mens and womens teams had been unequal for years. Every year since the Womens National Basketball Associations inaugural season in 1997, the highest-paid womens basketball player has earned less than the lowest-paid National Basketball Association player. Are pro athletes overpaid? [24], B. David Ridpath, EdD, Associate Professor of Sports Administration at Ohio University, noted, The only amateur quality about college athletics is that colleges refuse to pay their players. Ridpath explained, The United States is the only country in the world that has a significant portion of elite athletic development and commercialized sport embedded within its education systems. It is clear that professional athletes do not get paid enough, because they get paid the same amount as actors and they don't do anything physical.