Those who defend athlete salaries claim televised sports games are equivalent to movies and, therefore, athletes are more than just players on a team, but rather “actors.” Actors are also overpaid, but that’s another story for another article. It seems unfair that average Americans - usually the fans of these larger-than-life athletes - are struggling to make ends meet, pay student loans and make mortgage payments, while athletes are raking in the cash for sitting on the bench. However, athletes worry less about this because even if they are injured on the job - technically, on the field - and are unable to play, they are guaranteed a certain salary. In most careers, workers do all they can to avoid being injured because, in extreme cases, this could lead to unemployment. Higher wages make it virtually impossible to have good role models in sports, because often, the athletes’ priorities aren’t what they should be. In an article written for ESPN The Magazine, an anonymous NFL player claimed that the majority of NFL players cared more about their paychecks than winning games. Many individuals will get involved in sports not because they are passionate about the game, but rather because they are passionate about money. Greed is often coupled with other negative behaviors, such as drug use, that drive the athlete to his or her doom. The truth is that these high wages can corrupt people by making them greedier, which is why so many athletes are quick to change teams for a higher paycheck. Although some may do this, all too often, we hear about the scandals: using steroids to artificially enhance their performance, cheating on their significant others or abusing their families. Their high wages would be easier to accept if athletes made a better impact on society, like capitalizing on their fame to be role models. Moreover, if doctors study for years to make a fraction of an athlete’s salary and still live comfortably, then there’s no reason an athlete can’t survive on a lower salary. After all, the salary of one professional athlete would be enough to help an entire city in a third world country overcome poverty. Even though they work very hard, athletes do not need to be paid tens of millions of dollars and, despite what these athletes might say, paying them less would not minimize their hard work. To maintain this status, they tirelessly train and practice year after year to improve their performance. These individuals have been scouted by agents since high school - or even earlier - and are considered the best at what they do. However, that’s not to say that athletes don’t deserve significant compensation for their talents. Athletes simply provide entertainment to the masses and should not be paid more than individuals who have a greater impact on society. Even people who are believed to be in “well-paying” careers like medicine and law make less than athletes do. Some of them may even help future athletes along their way to stardom, but are only making a fraction of an athlete’s salary. In fact, it’s the consensus that they are underpaid, but these individuals are shaping the future of the country. It’s not shocking that public servants like teachers and police officers make less than professional athletes. The reality is that there are individuals with more important jobs - that is, those whose jobs affect society in a positive manner - who make significantly less. Meanwhile, Lebron James makes $19 million in one year and is still considered - you guessed it - underpaid. Some may envy athletes’ salaries, but that’s no surprise when the median household income in the United States is about $50,000. Athletes’ exorbitant wages are shocking but certainly not unusual. If I asked you to play one baseball game and then handed you $200,000, you would make almost as much as Alex Rodriguez does every game.
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