Comments on: Why Do Professionals Get Paid So Much? http://oneandahalftechs.wordpress.com/2007/11/24/why-do-professional-get-paid-so-much/ Bringing you sports news, opinions, rants and banter like no other Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:48:01 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: amanda http://oneandahalftechs.wordpress.com/2007/11/24/why-do-professional-get-paid-so-much/#comment-41 amanda Mon, 10 Dec 2007 23:25:39 +0000 http://oneandahalftechs.wordpress.com/2007/11/24/why-do-professional-get-paid-so-much/#comment-41 hey ..i'm doing an assignment on athlete salaries .. and ia lson agree with you on that they get paid WAYY to much .. hey ..i’m doing an assignment on athlete salaries .. and ia lson agree with you on that they get paid WAYY to much ..

]]> By: umenyiora http://oneandahalftechs.wordpress.com/2007/11/24/why-do-professional-get-paid-so-much/#comment-35 umenyiora Sun, 25 Nov 2007 22:59:35 +0000 http://oneandahalftechs.wordpress.com/2007/11/24/why-do-professional-get-paid-so-much/#comment-35 Hell yeah. Hell yeah.

]]> By: OMB http://oneandahalftechs.wordpress.com/2007/11/24/why-do-professional-get-paid-so-much/#comment-34 OMB Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:01:22 +0000 http://oneandahalftechs.wordpress.com/2007/11/24/why-do-professional-get-paid-so-much/#comment-34 Jealous! Jealous!

]]> By: LukeD3 http://oneandahalftechs.wordpress.com/2007/11/24/why-do-professional-get-paid-so-much/#comment-33 LukeD3 Sun, 25 Nov 2007 19:38:40 +0000 http://oneandahalftechs.wordpress.com/2007/11/24/why-do-professional-get-paid-so-much/#comment-33 It is supply and demand. Athletes realize how much money they bring in via TV viewers, fans visiting the game, etc. so they want a good chunk of the money brought in and as you can see it is a lot of money. It is supply and demand. Athletes realize how much money they bring in via TV viewers, fans visiting the game, etc. so they want a good chunk of the money brought in and as you can see it is a lot of money.

]]> By: th3knif3 http://oneandahalftechs.wordpress.com/2007/11/24/why-do-professional-get-paid-so-much/#comment-32 th3knif3 Sun, 25 Nov 2007 16:36:25 +0000 http://oneandahalftechs.wordpress.com/2007/11/24/why-do-professional-get-paid-so-much/#comment-32 It may sound disproportionate when compared to the salaries in the "real world", but athletes' salaries are so high because the amount of financial value they bring to their teams. The presence of someone like A-Rod on the Yankees team brings fans through the turnstiles, increases merchandise sales and sponsorship from outside companies, improves chances of winning prize money and generally just fills the cash registers on a daily basis. It's the same reason that people like Brad Pitt can command squillions of $$$ per film... their presence in the film virtually guarantees it will make 10 squillions $$$ at the box office. It is only fair that they get paid accordingly, because professional sports is (regrettably) a business, not just a past-time, and they increase revenue enormously. Sure, they are some very mediocre players who benefit from this more than they should, but that is the result of clubs mis-spending their money, and this goes on in every business - I know people who earn £30k a year (c. $60k) and spend most of their time posting on internet forums and shopping on Ebay. But the general rule of capitalism is that people get paid according to their worth, and their worth is defined in terms of $$$ they generate. That's why Joe Schmoe who works in accounts gets $50k a year... his presence their probably doesn't do much for the company financially, and their share price sure didn't rocket upwards the day they hired him! And you are wrong when you say they are paid to have fun. I wish it were true, but it isn't. They are paid to win games, and if they don't then they won't have a job. It may sound disproportionate when compared to the salaries in the “real world”, but athletes’ salaries are so high because the amount of financial value they bring to their teams. The presence of someone like A-Rod on the Yankees team brings fans through the turnstiles, increases merchandise sales and sponsorship from outside companies, improves chances of winning prize money and generally just fills the cash registers on a daily basis. It’s the same reason that people like Brad Pitt can command squillions of $$$ per film… their presence in the film virtually guarantees it will make 10 squillions $$$ at the box office. It is only fair that they get paid accordingly, because professional sports is (regrettably) a business, not just a past-time, and they increase revenue enormously. Sure, they are some very mediocre players who benefit from this more than they should, but that is the result of clubs mis-spending their money, and this goes on in every business – I know people who earn £30k a year (c. $60k) and spend most of their time posting on internet forums and shopping on Ebay. But the general rule of capitalism is that people get paid according to their worth, and their worth is defined in terms of $$$ they generate. That’s why Joe Schmoe who works in accounts gets $50k a year… his presence their probably doesn’t do much for the company financially, and their share price sure didn’t rocket upwards the day they hired him!

And you are wrong when you say they are paid to have fun. I wish it were true, but it isn’t. They are paid to win games, and if they don’t then they won’t have a job.

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