So, I've put entry this in my "I'm Mad as Hell and I'm Not Gonna Take It Anymore" section of my blog. Though, I'm not really irate, just really disappointed (yet again) and disturbed by this. I'm a fervent sports fanatic and I watch ESPN's Sportscenter and ESPNEWS damn near religiously. Every time ESPN reveals the details of another athlete's or coach's new contract, it absolutely perturbs me. The salaries for athletes, particularly in the three major sports (NBA, NFL, and MLB) are ridiculous. Check the numbers.
The average salary for a Major League Baseball (MLB) player is a shade above 3 million dollars.
Statistic provided by CBSSports.com ))
The average salary for a National Basketball Association (NBA) player is about 4 million dollars and is expected to increase over 5 million in the coming years.
Statistic provided by NBA Player's Association))
The average salary for a National Football League (NFL) player is nearly 2 million dollars.
Statistic provided by Plunkett Research) )
Now, anything over 1 million dollars is a hell of a lot of money and its completely unfair that these athletes make this much. Alex Rodriguez, a reputable and prominent baseball player of the New York Yankees, has a 10 year/275 million dollar contract. Lebron James, the most syndicated player in the NBA right now, recently agreed to a 60 million dollar contract. Peyton Manning, arguably the best Quarterback in the NFL right now, has a 7 year/98 million dollar contract. Rodriguez has to hit a ball, catch a ball and run over varying from 90-360 feet of dirt 166 days of the year. Lebron James runs and jumps at least 82 days/nights out of the year and earns 60 million dollars? Manning throws a ball for a living and his wages are over 90 million dollars? All the while educators, average medical practitioners, lawyers, civil servants, and law enforcement officials can only expect to accrue a shade of what these athletes are earning through the length of their lifetimes. Yay capitalism.
The census of this country, or at least those who rule it, is to award the people who entertain society for a living the highest of earnings. All the while teachers have been valiantly fighting the system to increase their yearly salaries from the nadir of the financial hierarchy that its in now. Doctors and nurses who train, learn and practice helping others or possibly saving lives make less than someone who plays with a ball less than half of the year. Definitely fair......
While the government advocates and stipulates for the citizens of this free country to pay taxes, they allow corporate and franchise owners to shell out ridiculous sums of money to people who haven't invested significant amounts of time in education or service. That definitely makes sense. While the despondent struggle to make ends meet, parents of potential superstar athletes salivate when they see their seed going for the dunk or throwing a touchdown because they have prescience about their financial future. This severely disproportionate distribution of wealth also affects the psychology of young people who are immersed in the impoverished culture of specific rural and urban areas of America. And one example is the urban black youth. When a young black male turns on his television and sees the glorification and lures of being a professional athlete, all the while experiencing the systemic quandaries of race and education, he will become steadfast in becoming a professional athlete only to acquire the lifestyle associated with it. I'm not suggesting that pursuing professional sports is wrong. It is the dollar signs that exacerbate the problem that I'm speaking of. This is why athletes don't understand that being a professional athlete is a privilege. They're being payed so much money that the idea of a rapid ascension through the socio-economic ladder affords them the mentality to act and behave as if they're invincible. And one can paroose the Sports section of the New York Times or any other reputable publication and find that professional athletes have proven to be susceptible to poor discretion.
To hell with the White Man's Burden or the Brown Man's Burden. I'm advocating for the Athletic Man's Burden. Indeed. Since they make so much money, they should feel obliged to help the working poor. I know that athletes engage in a lot of philanthropy, but they hardly ever give up significant amounts of money. Typically, they'll make an appearance, sign some cards or hand-me-downs, and lastly sign a check for 100 thousand dollars that won't be equally distributed and is probably hardly enough to accomplish the objective of whatever charitable organization they're donating to.
Bottom line, professional athletes should not be getting paid the amount of money that they get paid while other hardworking people with demanding jobs in this country fall helplessly to poor salaries. Its a shame that the people we go to see and watch to entertain us for only 3 hours of a day have disposable income while people who give their entire lives fruitlessly to the workforce can only dispose of their dreams.
Parting Thoughts:
I'm going to buy a political book authored by a Conservative just so I can have something else to be pissed off about.
Jamaican Beef Patties are an archetype in my mind. All other beef patties are imitations.
I'm going with the Detroit Pistons (my team) to win the NBA Finals.
I still haven't read Barack Obama's Audacity of Hope. I'm slackin'
Grand Theft Auto IV is a beautiful work of art. That's my opinion.
I think it'll be much easier for me to get into UCLA than NYU for Graduate Film school.
Could I make it through the superficialities of La La land? Eff the culture, I'm trying to make a dream come true.
Oh yeah,
Confidence is the most sought after attribute in another person when considering attractiveness.
(Relative statement, but believe it!)
Sunday, May 11, 2008
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Although Athletes are the easiest target for the disparities in America, I don't think they are the sole issue. The gap between the socio-economic peak of our country and it's poor is completely staggering. I think professional athletes are the easiest example of this, because they are far more public about their activities and there is more press about their pay. Entertainers at the higher professional levels are paid outrageous sums of money, whether it be athletes, musicians or actors. Entertainers aren't the only individuals who make absurd amounts of money, they are simply the easiest targets because of the nature of their work makes the general public jealous of their lives.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I think that there should be a higher tax on the higher incomes, and that more money needs to be spent on education. Not simply educating the young, but also educating people who aren't as advantaged to find work to support themselves better and to raise their standard of living.
By the way, this is Sean. I lived in your quad this year. On that note, we never really did have that Madden tournament you talked about. Your blog popped up on my news feed, so I checked it out.