why should professional athletes be paid less

More than half the people in the United States make less than $62,000 a year. [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. (HISTORIC) See how different sides see the same key events in ongoing conflicts. [36], Amy Perko, CEO of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, said of the Gallup findings, Its a positive report for the educational benefits for college sports, and it reinforces the point that weve tried to make over the years. UNC athletes will be able to earn money for NIL marketing including UNC trademarks and logos in groups of three or more athletes. The odds are even lower for womens basketball at 0.6%. Men's sports receive vastly more media coverage, television licenses, and sponsorship deals, which contribute to higher revenue. 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. In 2019, 14 million people watched the U.S. Womens National Soccer team defeat the Netherlands to win the FIFA Womens World Cup10.5 million more viewers than their 2001 finals appearance. Are pro athletes overpaid? Erin McGeoy, a former water polo athlete at George Washington University, explained, a common occurrence was that we would run out of meal money halfway through the semester and thats when I started to run into troubles of food insecurity. She turned to boarding dogs in her no-dogs-allowed apartment in order to pay rent because housing costs increased each year but her housing allowance remained static. Of the 73,712 NCAA football players, about 16,380 are draft-eligible and 254 will be drafted, meaning about 1.2% of college football players will go pro. And athletes should as far as possible have the opportunities other students enjoy. [49], Governor of California Gavin Newsom, stated, Collegiate student athletes put everything on the line their physical health, future career prospects and years of their lives to compete. So let's take a look at the reasons why professional female athletes don't deserve equal pay. Another argument is that women's national teams for sports like soccer have far more success than the men's national team. Schools would also have to cut unprofitable sports including gymnastics, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. [46], The University of North Carolina became the first school to organize group licensing deals for student athletes in July 2021. According to the NCAA, the organization provides more than $3.6 billion in athletic scholarships annually to more than 180,000 student-athletes. Divided equitably, each student would receive about $20,000 per year. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? Haven't signed into your Scholastic account before? In team sports, though, the picture for women is bleak. However, the male athletes serving the national team are disproportionally paid more, according to lawyers representing the group of female players. [ 3] Team owners and the three big leagues rake in billions of dollars a year. A second-year All-Star can be paid just above minimum salary. 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. Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. As Jon Solomon, Editorial Director for the Sports and Society Program at the Aspen Institute explained, The most glaring example occurred when the University of North Carolina was found by outside parties to have organized fake classes that enabled dozens of athletes to gain and maintain their eligibility of the 3,100 students who took the fake classes over 18 years, 47.4 percent were athletes North Carolina avoided NCAA penalties by essentially arguing that the NCAA should stay out of irregularities in college courses. [24] The NCAA polices athletes finances but does not ensure a quality education. The athletes leave their families, so they can go to their work, will you do that. 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. players. The top ten highest-paid women in 2019 were all tennis players when a decade ago the top-ten list included NASCAR, ice skating and golf. 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. do professional athletes deserve their inflated salaries? Tiger Woods, along with many other professional athletes, certainly think so. 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. Two major moments in this dispute include: The SBNation site Stars and Stripes compiled a full timeline of the USWNTs negotiations with U.S. Soccer over the years. Tennis players may earn up to $10,000 in prize money yearly while playing college tennis and college football players may earn up to $550 in bowl gifts. Without the players, the leagues wouldnt exist. procon@eb.com, 2023 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. The American League and now the National League both use designated hitters. In the N.B.A., the average annual salary was $7.1million. All throughout the athletic department, people are making six-figure salaries. 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. 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. They argued about whether they deserved the same charter flights as their male counterparts and about the definition of what constituted equal pay. Rules," nytimes.com, June 30, 2021, Becky Sullivan, "UNC Becomes the First School to Organize Group Endorsement Deals for Its Players," npr.org, July 21, 2021, Josh Moody, "Lack of Clear-Cut NCAA Rules Creates Confusion about NIL," insidehighered.com, Jan. 4, 2022, John I. Jenkins and Jack Swarbrick, "College Sports Are a Treasure. There are a variety of reasons why some people believe professional athletes should be paid less. In fact, some pro athletes in minor league baseballdont even make minimum wage. 4. With a new decade ahead, we are taking a look back at how athlete compensation changed over the past ten years, and the obvious trends of wage equality in sports. Sorry, an error occurred and your vote could not be processed. [23]. They reap billions of dollars every year from TV deals and merchandise and ticket sales. 2018: Twenty-eight USWNT players joined a wage-discrimiation class-action suit against U.S. Soccer. [25] [26], The study found that [t]he player-level analysis reveals that the existing limits on player compensation effectively transfers resources away from students who are more likely to be black and more likely to come from poor neighborhoods towards students who are more likely to be white and come from higher-income neighborhoods. [25], College athletes are required to make up the difference between NCAA scholarships and the actual cost of living. Fox Sports say the pool-play game versus Chile had record viewership for a Women's World Cup group-stagematch. Of the 36,011 college baseball players, only 8,002 are eligible to play professionally each year. In recent years,corporate culturehas creeped into some sports leagues. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public. While compensation for women has improved over the past decade, the gap still extends to even the worlds highest-paid players. However, players lived $778 below the federal poverty line and owed $3,624 in tuition. If adopted, the rule would only apply to Division I schools and would be temporary until the NCAA or Congress acts. This was quite a change from polling conducted in 2017, when 60% believed college scholarships were enough compensation for college athletes. People in the military leave their families at home to defend and protect the country knowing they may never return. It is clear that professional athletes do not get paid enough, because they get paid the same amount as actors and they don't do anything physical. (While thats still a lot, its not nearly as much as their top-level teammates earn.) 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? With ticket pricesgradually rising, not to mention merchandise price tags, sports fans might feel resentful toward funding overpaid athletes. MALE AND FEMALE athletes are paid on entirely different scales, to the extent that examples can seem literally unbelievable. The players long battle with U.S. Soccer, which is not only their employer but also the sports national governing body, had thrust them to the forefront of a broader fight for equality in womens sports and drawn the support of fellow athletes, celebrities, politicians and presidential candidates. Should Brady be called the best quarterback in NFL history? This cycle goes as follows: the fewer women who have access to sports, the fewer women have interest in sports, the fewer women who will become professional athletes, the fewer fans, the fewer commercial opportunities for revenue, the less interest in ad buys and investment in women's sport, the less money there is for female athlete salaries, For much of the decade, the US Womens National Team and the U.S. Soccer Federation have clashed over equal pay. This reason is why the athletes should get high salaries, because they travel far, leave their families and risk their life. This change in purpose has a negative impact on athletes ambition to play. 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. 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. But, with all this growth, are mens and womens earnings in line? However, some may argue that while teachers only provide service to a single classroom, superstar athletes are entertaining fans all around the world, enticing people with a feeling of relaxation and excitement. Do you feel that female athletes in your community are treated equally to male athletes? What Can You Do With a Masters in Social Work? Teaching is one of the most economically important occupations because our future economy relies on the education of its youth, yet teachers are paid astronomically less than the average professional athlete is. Group licensing deals in theory can allow lesser-known players to reap the benefits of appearing alongside a well-known player. The pay disparities in baseball/softball and basketball come down almost entirely to the revenue their leagues generate. For instance, during each season of any professional sport, there are away games that keep players from their families. 3. This is about small changes the league can make that will impact the players. Is it all about defense or does winning have more to do with offense? Firefighters can abide in the fire station for up . Wouldn't it be great to make nearly $111 million a year simply to play a game? Professional athletes sacrifice important aspects of their lives, especially their health and family. ], ProCon.org, "Paying College Athletes Top 3 Pros and Cons,", ProCon.org, "Paying College Athletes Top 3 Pros and Cons. [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. The case is a bit murkier for the U.S. womens national soccer team, which is on the prowl for a second straight World Cup title and faces Spain tomorrow after sweeping its three pool-play matches. But do these athletes really deserve all that money? A handful of big sports. 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. An NHL Blackhawks player earned over 124 million dollars in 13 years.Why should athletes get paid so much to play a game? Theres no question that professional athletes are paid too much. In the 1997-98 season, NBA rookies made 176% more than WNBA rookies. Over the span of 34 years, the four major tennis tournaments decided to pay their mens and womens winners equally. Is MMA any more dangerous than boxing or other contact sports? [32] Discrepancies between mens and womens sports such as the weight room during the 2021 NCAA basketball tournament would only worsen. And sport marketers can attract more fans to a league or player, increasing revenue and support. Major League Soccer played their first game in 1996, after the United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup. There is no guaranteed money. 1, 2021), Colin Dwyer, California Governor Signs Bill Allowing College Athletes to Profit from Endorsements, npr.org, Sep. 30, 2019, Rudy Hill and Jonatha D. Wohlwend, Florida Law Will Allow College Athletes to Profit from Name, Image, and Likeness Starting Summer 2021, June, 25, 2020, Ben Pickman, Colorado Governor Signs Bills Allowing NCAA Athletes to Profit Off Name, Likeness, si.com, Mar. Just one woman was ranked among the 100 highest-paid athletes in the . Source: Womens National Basketball Players Association (2019, 2020). Feldman explained, That was a shape-shifting decision that in many ways fundamentally changed economics of college football and college football television. Pro. Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry was on track to make more than $40 million in salary alone during the 201920 season. Further confusing the issue, the NCAA does not have a consistent or fair definition of amateurism and allows some significant forms of financial compensation. However, do these athletes really deserve all that money? [34], The NCAA noted, [p]rofessional opportunities are extremely limited and the likelihood of a high school or even college athlete becoming a professional athlete is very low. 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. Compare those wages withthe national average salary fora firefighter: about $45,000 a year. players make about $500,000. So if you think pro athletes make too much money, maybe you should stop watching them. 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. He is on a six-year $68 million contract, with $31 million guaranteed. It Threatens the Future of Sports. The team filed a complaint against U.S. Soccer in March that states: Female WNT players would earn a maximum of $99,000 or $4,950 per game, while similarly situated male MNT players would earn an average of $263,320 or $13,166 per game. The players claim they face discrimination when it comes to where and how often they play, how they train and travel, the medical treatment and coaching they receive, and obviously their salaries. Adelphi University respects your right to privacy. 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 69 other head mens basketball coaches were paid more than $1 million annually, and another three more than $500,000. Sports teams know that to stay profitable they need to win, which is why they sign the best players available. But now in the 21st century, the NCAA is a billion dollar company. Two sportswriters weigh in. Should college athletes be paid? ), and Major League Baseball (M.L.B.) [34], The major money-makers, football and mens basketball, have very low odds. Next, some MLB players will earn more in one game than the average American household makes in 10 years. The top players in these leagues earn huge salaries that most Americans can only dream of. The gender pay gap spans almost every industry, and sports is no different. 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. 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 U.S. 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. 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. 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.

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