why should professional athletes be paid less


Please try again later. And the few athletes who get that far have relatively short careersjust 5 to 10 years to earn a living, compared with 40 or 50 years for other jobs. Plus, we tend to forget that published professional athletes salaries are gross salaries. For the first time, the average salary reached six figures. Maybe highly paid athletes (along with team owners) should have to pay a special tax that would help fund better salaries for firefighters, teachers, nurses, and other people who work for the greater public good. Explain your answer(s). 3. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the other side of the issue now helps you better argue your position. 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. Pro athletes are the stars of those shows, and TV stars get paid a lot. How much do you think the comparative revenue of mens and womens teams matters in determining pay? Women in male-dominated sports such as racecar driver Danica Patrick and UFC and WWE star Ronda Rousey ranked among the top earners in their sports when they were active. What message do you think U.S. Soccer is sending with this agreement, which Mr. Das writes is a tacit admission that compensation for the mens and womens teams had been unequal for years? 5. The amount of money that team owners are willing to pay franchise players often comes at the expense of the other players. In today's society, one should be paid according to the jobs economic importance and their value to society. The NCAA keeps players in poverty and denied them ways to earn money, while making millions on their performance. 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. [45], On June 30, 2021, fewer than 12 hours before some states NIL laws went into effect, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors issued an interim ruling stating that Bylaw 12 (the rules that say athletes cannot receive payment) will not be enforced. NBA players receive about 50% of the leagues revenues. The gap varies by industry, according to Payscale: the legal profession has the worst discrepancy at 64%, while arts, entertainment and sports comes in well above average at 94%. Gender equity in tennis has been in the spotlight for decades, stretching back beyond Billie Jean Kings threat to boycott the 1973 U.S. Open. 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. Nike hasnt made asignature shoefor a WNBA player in over 20 years. Major League Soccer played their first game in 1996, after the United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Source: Forbes (men 2010, 2019; women 2010, 2019). In strength, speed and endurance, how do basketball players fare against other sports' athletes? 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. This week, the United States Soccer Federation pledged to equalize pay for its mens and womens national teams as part of a settlement that included a $24 million payment to a group of players for the womens team who had sued the organization for gender discrimination. The phenomenal Portuguese Ronaldo or the one-team man Lionel Messi? The compensation for professional athletes differs from traditional pay because, Matheson said, fans have limited choices compared to other industries - a phenomenon known as "superstar. In 2010, golfer Tiger Woods made 124% more than tennis player Maria Sharapova. Data analyzed from the Department of Labor showed nine out of 10 new jobs were going to employees with college degrees in June 2018. Outside the majors, the average earnings of U.S. women ranked by the Womens Tennis Association were higher than the U.S. men in the Association of Tennis Professionals. Last modified on March 27, 2023. 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. But the long fight that set key members of the womens team against their bosses at U.S. Soccer ended on Tuesday just as abruptly as it had begun, with a settlement that included a multimillion-dollar payment to the players and a promise by their federation to equalize pay between the mens and womens national teams. The ruling changed the broadcast regulations for college football. 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. 1. Judge Judy makes about $45 million per year. Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry was on track to make more than $40 million in salary alone during the 201920 season. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that the top two college football positionsthe quarterback and wide receiverwere worth $2.4 million and $1.3 million per year respectively, while starting mens basketball players in the Power Five schools were worth between $800,000 and $1.2 million per year. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. How much should a teams record of winning or losing major competitions matter? Lower salaries wouldnt necessarily lead to lower ticket and hot dog prices for fans who go to the games. For much of the decade, the US Womens National Team and the U.S. Soccer Federation have clashed over equal pay. 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. Managers, owners and other administrators can have direct input in how much players get paid. Aspiring athletes get to be superstars because they have some type of rare talent. Such Salaries Contribute to Income Inequality within Sports. They argued about whether they deserved the same charter flights as their male counterparts and about the definition of what constituted equal pay. Here are the proper bibliographic citations for this page according to four style manuals (in alphabetical order): [Editor's Note: The APA citation style requires double spacing within entries. 69 other head mens basketball coaches were paid more than $1 million annually, and another three more than $500,000. [3], California was the first state to pass a NIL (name, image, and likeness) law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, 2023. Chicago, Illinois 60654 USA, Natalie Leppard 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. The NCAA is not above the law. [43] [44], On June 28, 2021, the NCAA Division I Council recommended to the NCAA Division I Board of Directors that student athletes be allowed to profit from their name, image, and likeness. Things improve when men and . By far the most ubiquitous solution is paying college athletes. [32] Discrepancies between mens and womens sports such as the weight room during the 2021 NCAA basketball tournament would only worsen. Consent is needed to contact you, but is not a requirement to register or enroll. players make about $500,000. First, the average Cubs player earned over 6 million dollars in 2012. The most important thing here is that we are moving forward, and we are moving forward together.. You are being redirecting to Scholastic's authentication page For more support materials,visit our Help Center. At both the start and end of the decade, the top female player in the United States made more than the top male player. Professional sports revenues are rapidly increasing because of the seemingly insatiable appetites for unique TV programs. Women can't compete on the world stage The Aussie Sevens women's team swept the World Series tournament, making them hot favourites for gold at Rio 2016. Sure, their net salaries may be higher than ours, but they are still lower than we tend to think and much lower than what is published. If adopted, the rule would only apply to Division I schools and would be temporary until the NCAA or Congress acts. Tennis is one of the few sports where the United States women, on average, make more than men. When asking people whether they think athletes are paid way too much money, most agree with me. Only a tiny fraction actually make it to the big time. They give out 13 scholarships. This reason is why the athletes should get high salaries, because they travel far, leave their families and risk their life. In 2019, the teams in the FIFA Womens World Cup shared a $30 million prize pool. This pay gap creates unnecessary tensions within sport teams and is unfair to teammates who sacrifice just as much but for less money. U.S. Soccer and Womens Players Agree to Settle Equal Pay Lawsuit, ice hockey Olympic gold medalists, Canadian soccer pros and W.N.B.A. Its hard to ignore the racist undertones when the financial benefit to these institutions is based on the unpaid work of young Black men. [22], The NCAA requires players to have health insurance but does not pay for that insurance and can refuse to pay medical expenses for sports injuries, some of which can have life-long consequences for the players bodies and career opportunities. do professional athletes deserve their inflated salaries? 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. In any other job, if you don't perform to your expectations, you're fired. Tennis players are the only female athletes to rank among the overall top earners over the past decade, with Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Li Na all having appeared multiple times onForbes list. The Yankees bat boy salary is more than my professional softball contract,NPF playerand U.S. womens national team member Delanie Gourley wrote in a since-deleted tweet. The result is an explosion in player salaries in the major men's sports leagues. Limits on Paying College Athletes, nytimes.com, Dec. 16, 2020, Dennis Dodd, Breaking Down the NCAA's Forthcoming Supreme Court Battle with Its Big Brother Status and Amateurism at Stake, cbssports.com, Feb. 3, 2021, NCAA, 2021 March Madness: Complete Schedule, Dates, ncaa.org (accessed Mar. Accessed April 27, 2023. https://www.procon.org/headlines/paying-college-athletes-top-3-pros-and-cons/, NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), "Syllabus National Collegiate Athletic Association v. Alston et al.,", The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, National Collegiate Athletic Association, britannica.com, Sep. 14, 2020, NCAA, What Is the NCAA?, ncaa.org (accessed Mar. As of June 10, 2021, 18 states have passed NIL laws; five more states have passed bills that were awaiting the governors signature to become law; 14 states have introduced NIL bills; and one state has a bill passed by the Senate and awaiting a House vote, according to the Business of College Sports. [23]. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. Next, some MLB players will earn more in one game than the average American household makes in 10 years. The existence of world tournaments and professional leagues highlight the reason why female athletes should be paid less than their male counterparts. Professional sports is a money-earning business. 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. 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. This month . The bulk of that figure is back pay, a tacit admission that compensation for the mens and womens teams had been unequal for years. [35] Further, a Gallup poll of 74,385 U.S. adults with a bachelors degree, finds that college graduates who participated in NCAA athletics experience a host of positive long-term life outcomes at greater rates than non-athletes. [36], Those positive outcomes include: 70% of NCAA athletes graduated in four years or fewer, 50% agree that college was worth the cost, 39% earned an advanced degree, 33% have good jobs after graduation, and 24% 2017 Perspective-Media LTD. All Rights Reserved, THERE ARE AT LEAST TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY. Proper citation depends on your preferred or required style manual. Male athletes receive more money through endorsements and personal branding initiatives, further widening the sports pay gap. [25] [26], If college players earned about 50% of their teams revenues like the NFL and NBA players do, the average football players yearly salary would be $360,000 and the average basketball players yearly salary would be $500,000. Professional athletesare making too much money in a society where salaries and wages are traditionally based on the value of one's work. Soccer and Womens Players Agree to Settle Equal Pay Lawsuit, Andrew Das writes about the case and its implications for other sports: For six years, the members of the World Cup-winning United States womens soccer team and their bosses argued about equitable treatment of female players. This change in purpose has a negative impact on athletes ambition to play. THAT'S IT! I am an editorial consumer intern reporting on sports and b-schools. They shouldn't have to become Maxim models to prove their worth. What are sports like at your school? [46], The University of North Carolina became the first school to organize group licensing deals for student athletes in July 2021. Its about $56,000for a schoolteacher and nearly $74,000 for an emergency room nurse. It is true that on average, female athletes are paid far less than male athletes. The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) is a nonprofit organization formed in 1906 that regulates college athletics, including game rules, athlete eligibility, and college tournaments. No Division II or III schools revenue exceeded expenses. In the 1997-98 season, NBA rookies made 176% more than WNBA rookies. 8, 2020, Steve Goldstein, Nine out of 10 New Jobs Are Going to Those with a College Degree, marketwatch.com, June 5, 2018, Gallup, A Study of NCAA Student-Athletes: Undergraduate Experiences and Post-College Outcomes, gallup.com, 2020, Greta Anderson, Study: College Athletes Have Better Academic, Life Outcomes, insiderhighered.com, June 24, 2020, Griffin Connolly, Wealth distribution is bad except when it comes to college athletes' money, top Republican senator suggests, theindependent.co.uk, Sep. 15, 2020, B. David Ridpath, A Path Forward for Reforming College Sports, jamesgmartin.center, Jan. 15, 2020, Molly Hensley-Clancy, NCAA Vows to Improve Conditions at Womens Basketball Tournament, as Outcry Continues, washingtonpost.com, Mar. Team owners and the three big leagues rake in billions of dollars a year. Players salaries are simply their share of all the cash these hugely successful businesses bring in. [18] [19], Michael Sokolove, author of The Last Temptation of Rick Pitino (2018), explained, If you look at a program like [University of] Louisville, they generate about $45 million a year in revenue. Sorry, an error occurred and your vote could not be processed. 2. Sports betting is now legal in the majority of US states. 1. about whether the NCAA is violating antitrust laws by restricting college athletes compensation. When the WNBA players' union opted out of its collective bargaining agreement in November, Los Angeles Sparks star Nneka Ogwumike, the president of the union, wrote for The Players' Tribune: This is not purely about salaries. Do you feel that female athletes in your community are treated equally to male athletes? In 2019, the average annual income for a US household was, The large amounts of money invested in professional sports in recent years has the potential to drain the true meaning from sports. 2018: Twenty-eight USWNT players joined a wage-discrimiation class-action suit against U.S. Soccer. while increasing income inequalitybetween the majority of athletes. When fans look at professional athletes salaries, its easy to say they make far too much money for playing a game. 4. The top WNBA salarywas $117,500 last season, compared with $37.4 million in the NBA. This is about a six-foot-nine superstar taking a red-eye cross-country and having to sit in an economy seat instead of an exit row. The current deal with the league ends in October. Last spring the Sports and Society Initiative (SSI) at the Ohio State University (OSU) held a popular panel discussion on pay-to-play in college sports. The 2020 agreement was also a big step forward in terms of WNBA players salary potential. 23, 2018, Craig Garthwaite, Who Profits from Amateurism? As professional sporting brings in a ridiculous amount of money in general, we should find a way to invest more in our female athletes and pay them the same as their male counterparts. Just one woman was ranked among the 100 highest-paid athletes in the . Are pro athletes overpaid? As of 2014, a Sergeant of U.S Military who had two years of experience made $26,172. Others also argue that. Athletes Dont Get Paid As Much As We Think. The WNBA generates roughly $25 million annually from its TV deal with ESPN; the NBA's TV revenue from ESPN and TNT is 100 times that. [31], If students were paid, the NCAA argues, many colleges and universities would have to offer fewer scholarships and the remaining scholarships would be distributed unfairly to top football and mens basketball players because those two sports bring in the most revenue. Should college athletes be paid? 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. At first, it was a great place to watch athletes play sports while making sure the rules were being followed. Sports teams know that to stay profitable they need to win, which is why they sign the best players available. To learn more about Adelphi Universitys Online Programs download a brochure, fill out the fields below or call us at 888.252.4110 to talk with one of our enrollment counselors. are thriving at the highest levels, all higher percentages than their non-athlete peers. For years, another major difference in compensation came in the form of revenue sharing. They make their teammates better, thereby improving the whole team (thinkTom Brady Kevin Durant, and, of course,Michael Jordan, etc.). (The Perspective Book), suffer from progressive degenerative disease. [1] As of Mar. Professional sports revenues are rapidly increasing because of the seemingly insatiable appetites for unique TV programs. Explain your answer. As there can be only one best, who is it? While these may seem huge, so are the deductions from them. players had reached out to the American soccer players and their union for help as they sought better pay and working conditions. Source: MLS 2013; 2020; NWSL 2013, 2020 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. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate them into your classroom. Plus, making it to the pros takes years of hard work. The same goes for the military. 81 other head football coaches made more than $1 million annually and another 29 more than $500,000. Men's sports receive vastly more media coverage, television licenses, and sponsorship deals, which contribute to higher revenue. Thus, professional athletes salaries are a fair compensation for the countless time and energy they put into training and the huge health risksthey take, especially considering that their careers typically end around the age of 35. However, the past decade has seen some attempts to narrow that gap. Both mens and womens basketball used the unusual circumstances to play with online options and enhance the at-home fan experience, and the WNBA saw its highest draft viewership in 16 years during the 2020 virtual draft. 3, 2021), John Thelin, Paying College Athletes, insidehighered.com, Feb. 12, 2018, NCAA, Estimated Probability of Competing in Professional Athletics, ncaa.org, Apr. 2016: Five USWNT players filed a wage-discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Schools would also have to cut unprofitable sports including gymnastics, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. They save peoples' lives every day, should have more recognition than they are given, and deserve better pay. Other Division I schools had an almost $23 million collective difference between revenue and expenses. Here are three reasons for why the violence should be stopped and three reasons why it shouldn`t. 3. Want more writing prompts? The Bottom Line: While it seems like theres no way to stop such inflated salaries of professional athletes, the repercussions could cause long-term damage to professional sports. If Alex Rodriguez earns the same amount of money as it would take tofeed the nation's poor for a year, he cant cheat and take steroids. Each league and sports organization has its own structure of compensation and benefits. Colleges reap billions from these student athletes sacrifices and success but, in the same breath, block them from earning a single dollar. Until 2018, the mens team qualified for the World Cup every year since 1990, but has not won a championship. More TV exposure for the players will lead to more visibility, and more visibility could lead to major deals with endorsers in the future. In 2016, ESPN doubled their rights fee to show WNBA games, paying $25 million a year. Is it all about defense or does winning have more to do with offense? 23, 2023. 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). And sport marketers can attract more fans to a league or player, increasing revenue and support. Do you think well-established minor-league systems would be attractive to high-school graduates and college athletes less interested in (or ill-prepared for) higher education? Considering other scholarships and aid are widely available and not all college athletes require financial aid, the NCAA scholarships are generous. The average American woman earns 81% of what an average American man earns, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, its not the athletes fault that their wages are so high. Others will mimic as they try to keep up but eventually will fall short in trying to outbid Auburn University, Florida State, the University of Southern California or the University of Texas in the college player arms race. [33], The reality is that the vast majority of college athletes will never play professionally. While compensation for women has improved over the past decade, the gap still extends to even the world's highest-paid players. People argue that since women in sports work just as hard as men, they should receive equal pay. Panel Recommends," nytimes.com, June 28, 2021, Alan Blinder, "College Athletes May Earn Money from Their Fame, N.C.A.A. In team sports, though, the picture for women is bleak. Major League Baseball is a $10 billion-in-revenue giant while the NPF players make an average of $5,000 to $6,000 because of the league's low revenue. 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. With ticket pricesgradually rising, not to mention merchandise price tags, sports fans might feel resentful toward funding overpaid athletes. What kids learn from successful ballplayers like him is that Its okay for me to use illegal substances, because in the long run, it will pay off by earning me an enormous contract.. 3. Further confusing the issue, the NCAA does not have a consistent or fair definition of amateurism and allows some significant forms of financial compensation. 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. 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. Was this the outcome you expected? If so, theyll stop paying to watch or support professional sports teams, leaving the industry in the lurch. We are told female athletes are paid less than men because they generate less money.

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why should professional athletes be paid less