Nicole Villa 3-15-04 English 6-1 Mrs.Farnum
Athletes Salaries are Out of Bounds
Should professional athletes be able to make 800 times the salary of an average teacher? Professional athletes= salaries are out of control. People should be paid according to what they do for society. Athletes only entertain. Most athletes don=t even go to college, and they=re not always the best role models. Salaries are the amount of money that people are paid regularly. Many professional athletes make more money in one year than most people make in their whole lifetime. You might be surprised at how much money some people make. The most recent Parade magazine just published the annual report on AWhat People Earn. The Vice President of the United States makes $198,600, a school teacher in Alabama makes $44,900, a police officer in Oklahoma makes $39,200 and Kobe Bryant makes $13.5 million. The magazine also reported that the gap is getting wider between America=s highest and lowest paid workers. These professions require various forms of education. Education plays a major role in what workers are paid. To become a doctor a person must attend a minimum of 11 years of schooling after high school. Teachers are required to attend at least 4 years of college. Most chief executive officers (CEO=s) and managers are required to have a masters in business administration (MBA) which takes about 6 years. Even firefighters must attend a special school to become a firefighter. Entertainers who make more
money than any of these professions require no formal education. Webster=s dictionary defines a role model as Aa person whose behavior in a particular role is imitated by others.@ Many people can be considered role models such as political figures, actors and actresses, doctors and teachers. Athletes need to be aware that they are role models. Many young people look up to them. They need to think before they act. If an athlete is seen doing something wrong by a young person, then that young person might think it=s okay for them to do it, too. Unfortunately, many athletes have failed to be good role models. Athletes are watched and recognized by many. Many National Football League (NFL) players have been charged for crimes. Some people might think the NFL stands for National Felons League. The large amounts of money they are being paid might be affecting their judgement. The NFL is not the only association with this problem. The other major professional leagues in basketball and baseball have also been in the news recently. There have been articles written about drug use and inappropriate behavior. We know athletes have extremely high salaries and are role models, but what happens if they get injured? It is important for athletes to have a back up plan just in case the job doesn=t work out. Some people think athletes should be able to go to the National Basketball Association (NBA) right out of high school. They think that you can=t force someone to go to college if they don=t want to. College sports would not be a challenge for people such as LeBron James. College should make room for people who want to be there for an education. Even if they don=t think the education is necessary now, it=s a smart choice for them just in case their athletic career is cut short. So why are athletes so eager to go pro? LeBron James is paid over $4 million without endorsements, Kevin Garnett is paid $27
million, Shaqille O=Neal is paid $26 million and Alex Rodriguez is paid $25.2 million. Some might start to wonder if athletes are playing for the money or the love of the game. Professional athletes are entertainers that are earning too much money. If athletes get injured and have to sit out games, they still get paid. How many other professions get paid even when they don=t perform their job? Can you imagine getting dressed up for work and just sitting at your desk for eight hours doing nothing?! A reality television judge gets paid more than an actual Supreme Court justice in Washington D.C.. The Supreme Court justices= make decisions that affect about 300 million Americans. Athletes don=t make any decisions that affect our country. Shouldn’ t=t these millions of dollars be spent on improving our society. Athletes salaries are too high. The more people do for society, the more they should get paid. Education should also play a role in how much people are paid. If you are educated, people will look up to you as a role model. Therefore, college is important for everyone including athletes. This problem could be changed by limiting your attendance at professional sporting events. Or, another solution would be to pay athletes according to their performance. This would force athletes to perform at their peak, in other words, no play--no pay. Doctors keep us healthy, teachers help us learn and athletes simply entertain. Here is something to think aboutBis Shaqille O=Neal worth about $18,000 for every basket he makes?