Are Pro Athletes Overpaid?

When it comes to athletes’ salaries, it’s important to understand where the money comes from. Top professional sports organizations in the U.S., including the NBA, the NFL, and MLB, all make billions of dollars a year. This money comes mostly from TV and streaming deals, as well as from ticket sales and merchandise like team hats and jerseys. A significant portion of the profits goes to the athletes. After all, without them, there would be no sports to watch.

But some say that athletes are paid too much for simply playing a game. Critics point out that athletes who hit, pass, and shoot balls for a living are paid hundreds of times more than first responders and medical professionals, who save lives; government officials, who keep our cities and states running; and educators, who teach children.

What does this say about our society, these critics ask? Do we value entertainment more than health and safety? Is competition more important than compassion and public service?

Then again, not all pro athletes make the kind of money that superstars like Tatum and Mahomes earn. For starters, female athletes often make far less. Most players in the National Women’s Soccer League, for example, make about $65,000 a year. But even in men’s sports, most athletes are not making tens of millions of dollars a year. The minimum yearly salary in the NBA is about $1 million. The NFL’s is $795,000. That’s still a lot, but it’s far less than what superstars make.

Many sports fans say that pro athletes deserve their millions. Why? Because few can do what they do. Take LeBron James. His slam dunks defy gravity. His athleticism is incredible. He’s the league’s all-time top scorer. He makes tens of millions of dollars a year, and many feel that he has earned that. Supporters of athletes’ high salaries also point out how much it takes to become an elite athlete. To reach the top, athletes must dedicate their entire lives to their sport—to traveling, training, and competing. They push the boundaries of their game—and their bodies.

“Athletes are exposed to serious injury and chronic health problems,” says Matthew Hawzen, a professor of sports management at Fairleigh Dickinson University. “Their careers can end in a flash.”

Because their jobs are so physical, most athletes play for only three to six years. That means they have a small window of time to earn money.

On the other hand, there are plenty of people with dangerous jobs, like construction workers and firefighters, who don’t get paid exorbitant sums of money. What’s more, retired athletes can go on to other, lucrative jobs. Many former pros become well-paid coaches, commentators, or public speakers.

The fact is, star athletes make enormous salaries because of us. We are the ones forking over big bucks for tickets and streaming services so that we can jump and scream in glee when our favorite player catches that epic Hail Mary pass or hits a home run in the last inning.

And why not? Research shows that watching sports together provides a sense of belonging and can improve people’s well-being.

But if we really think athletes shouldn’t make so much, we could stop watching them!

Will we though? Probably not. It’s just too much fun.