Athletes around the world receive incredibly high salaries to play on teams. These salaries are not deserved, because these athletes do not risk much for these positions. Occupations with similar compensation depend on educational qualifications and the simple fact that the lives of others are in their hands. There are several reasons that led to the conclusion that such people should receive a lower salary. There has been a review of the opposing sides regarding this issue and it is believed that these ideas are rational, however, they will only hinder the success of others. These salaries must be cut if the United States ever wants to correct the wage gap. A high salary should be associated with education and responsibility and not depend on athletic ability. There are many other worthy occupations paying salaries in excess of a million dollars. In my opinion, this is unethical and unfair to those who contribute much more to the betterment of this country and society. The pursuit of happiness is a right recognized by all citizens, however paying high prices for leisure hinders the professional success of others. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Don't get me wrong, there is nothing I love more in life than playing and watching sports. However, I believe that the salaries given to athletes are extremely high. These controversial issues are not new to the public, however, little has been done to resolve them. I believe that not only are athletes paid too much, but many entertainment occupations also fall into categories like this. People like Kim Kardashian, Nicki Minaj, and Kanye West are all paid way more than they deserve. Now a high wage based on education and risk is used, however people are paid more than these occupations for minimal amounts of work. I'm certainly not saying that athletes don't train hard, but do they deserve a higher salary than say, say, a doctor or a person in the active forces? These high salaries given to athletes only worsen the wage gap in America, and if such cases continue, the gap will only grow. Athletes don't deserve such high salaries, because the only impact they have on the world is entertainment. Sports are very popular all over the world. They can be played at an early age, watched at any time of day, and are a healthy activity for families, friends, and even strangers. Games are also represented in different forms of video games. The games are for pure entertainment, which for me is the intended purpose. However, this is not true for many athletes ranging from teams like the Cubs, Browns, and Miami Heat. These players earn ridiculous amounts of money simply for excelling in a specific sport. Gaming is no longer about the thrill and ease of playing, but about money and sponsorships. Before I delve into these topics and expand my understandings, my point of view would definitely agree and say that yes, they deserve these salaries. There are several valid reasons that could help explain this response, which we will discuss later. But at this moment, the shocking facts must be revealed. Such ideas changed my mind on the whole topic. As part of my research, a Cornell University blog uncovered many ideas that would change anyone's mind on these topics. According to the Cornell website: “During the summer of 2010, LeBron James, one of the NBA's most popular players, was deciding between whether to sign with the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, or ClevelandCavaliers. Although he claimed the choice was difficult for him, the difficulty was not dependent on salary. Each team was willing to offer him an annual salary of about $19.2 million a year, a staggering sum for more than 99 percent of Americans today, where the average family earns $45,000. Can we say that the work that LeBron James does (i.e. playing) is worth more than 400 times more than that of the average American? “. (Cornell University, 2011). In my opinion it is absurd to think that one person can literally earn 400 times more than another. Understanding that with the implementation of a free economy, like the one in the United States, this is physically possible, but how on earth can this be a reality? Sports players truly deserve a salary many times higher than the average person. No, the answer is certainly no. For those who have trouble paying their mortgage, who have trouble putting food on the table, and for those who are underpaid for what they do, these ideas can be quite frustrating (Mueller, 2014). Personally, it was heartbreaking to discover these statistics. These players usually request certain amounts of money and are awarded them. Sports in general generates a lot of funds, but these funds could be used to improve the world. Take for example the president of the United States. I'm not sure of the specific technical details of Trump's salary, but on average a president makes $400,000 a year. The average athlete is paid approximately $13.5 million per year, not including endorsements which are not accounted for. (Patel,2013). Even those who oppose my point of view must admit, this seems a bit scandalous. It's mind-blowing that the person who runs the entire country earns less than an athlete. This is where you realize there is an extreme and urgent problem that needs to be addressed. Some critics, who are against my position, may argue that Trump is not a worthy opponent to express my views. Perhaps due to his extreme wealth in addition to presidential salaries. I would now like to explain to these critics the reality of normal people's lives and the impact these salaries have on them. In 2015, the Census Bureau conducted statistics on the number of people in poverty in America. This data concluded that approximately 43.1 million people fall within the poverty lines set by the government. This equates to approximately 13.5% of the entire country. So, while Trump certainly has a salary that makes up for his lack of salary as president, many people in the country live very poorly (povertyusa, 2015). If that wasn't mind-blowing enough, when you consider that the top 1% of Americans, the wealthy, own more than the other 99% (rt.com, 2014). Those who have even a little ethics in mind can understand the problem with this. Athletes and other entertainers donate millions of dollars a year to various organizations, however, for them it is pocket change. The wealth gap between the upper, lower and middle classes is narrowing. It seems that nowadays there is no longer a middle class, but only the rich and the poor. This is evident as there is a division of the 1% who own more wealth than the rest of the 99%. (rt.com, 2014). These shortcomings cannot be improved even slightly without implementing massive changes. I think paying animators less is certainly part of this process. The minimum wage is about $7.25, at least in Pennsylvania. If one is a server, one can even earn less than this. In most cases, this doesn't even cover a single meal. While Lebron James is paid 6 dollars for just one second on the pitch (Leung, 2014). When someone comespaid for a second almost as much as someone else gets paid for an hour, we definitely have issues that need to be addressed. How is it possible that hourly wages are so low, and how can the poorest Americans live on such a low salary? These are questions that have been asked for many years, although little effort has been made to resolve these issues. Many are aware of these problems, but the solution is not easy and may be nothing short of impossible. This higher percentage controls many aspects of how payments work. These are the same people who make large amounts of money, so they certainly wouldn't implement changes to be in favor of the majority. Instead of using a utilitarian approach, they use ethical selfishness. Which is in their favor, rather good for the greatest number of people. America is also a free market economy which we talked about briefly above. Since the average person is ignorant of this definition, I will include one from Wikipedia. I understand this site is questionable, however it summarizes the concepts better than any other site. So, according to Wikipedia: “a free market is a system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by the open market and by consumers, in which the laws and forces of supply and demand are free from any intervention by the government, pricing, monopoly, or other authority” (Wikipedia, 2017). The reason I included this information is to argue against my opposing sides. Those who agree with these wages could certainly blame the economy for it. Which is not wrong, however, they are quite accurate. It is extremely related to the way the government handles things, but with the definition given above I would like to refute this reason. As the definition above states, this pay is fundamentally determined by the consumer. While sports is not a market, it is one in other ways. Transactions are certainly conducted. Be it equipment, games or other financial avenues. You would be amazed at the amount of money a person would pay for a season pass or a front row seat. This money is donated freely by consumers to enjoy this entertainment. It is not the government that controls this money, but each of us. I have been guilty of such acts, but I never realize how it truly affects the rest of society. I always thought that watching games was harmless, however, I no longer think so. Now I see with a clearer vision that by supporting these events, we are supporting a celebrity like Floyd Mayweather, who earns $85 million a year. Forbes listed him as the highest paid athlete in the entire country and quite possibly in the entire world as well. Floyd practices boxing and in most cases his fights cannot even be watched for free on television (Forbes.com, 2012). Another position, often adopted by those on the opposing side, is that athletes deserve their compensation because they provide valued stewardship. A perhaps shocking truth is that things in the public arena are not fair and are given because of popularity and not the effort or development behind them. They are more concerned with what they offer to society. Wonderful mathematicians, scientists and other academics can spend many years developing another hypothesis that perhaps does not have an immediate effect on society, and they are neglected (Leung,2014). On the other hand, there are "cloning" organizations that simply duplicate an item or service from another person and resell it. Additionally, many people (myself included) enjoy watching professional games and will pay cash for tickets and supplies for this. The contestants are the reason for these games and they get ita significant part of the benefits. The overall pay can be very substantial, but it is essentially a direct result of the size of their effect. Most employment outcomes are limited, but competitors can influence billions of people with their execution (Leung, 2014). Many people on the opposing side also argue that all good-paying jobs require work in some form. Athletes spend a lot of time training and undergoing extreme diets. Not everyone is equipped to handle these types of restrictions. Just as a businessman works towards a college degree and dedicates several hours to increasing his performance, an athlete trains and works to improve his speed and endurance. No job is without problems, so how can one judge the actions and/or efforts of these players. I believe that a restrictive diet alone is difficult to achieve. These athletes put aside many pleasures to stay in tip-top shape for the games. These athletes must not only be fast but have extraordinary accuracy in shooting, kicking, etc. I believe that many athletes work hard for their success, however, I feel that many do not. The drug landscape is nothing new to sports. Many athletes use drugs such as steroids to increase their stamina and strength. These drugs can work wonders and turn a less than stellar athlete into an extraordinary player. Although many athletes must complete a mandatory drug screening upon accepting a contract, many are only tested during this period. This gives them a lot more time to use substances. This technique is properly called doping (Zielinski, 2016). These doping techniques date back over 2,000 years. Starting from the ancient Greeks. They did not use steroids, but rather a drug called strychnine. This drug is used to improve speed and fighting skills. These methods helped the Greeks at the Olympics back then, and they help athletes today too (Zielinski, 2016). The modern eras of doping began in the mid-20th century. It all started with a drug called amphetamine. These drugs act as stimulants and are considered a quick high. Soldiers were well known for using these drugs. Especially during World War II, this is where athletes acquired these ideas. The soldiers could stay awake longer and were very aware of their surroundings. They showed superman-like strength and precision (Zielinski, 2016). During this same period, athletes began taking anabolic steroids. This drug mimics the hormone testosterone in humans. These drugs are approved by the FDA, however, not for misuse by athletes. These drugs aim to help people regain their appetite and regain lost muscle mass. However, it has been made public that these drugs can also increase strength by adding a good amount of muscle to the body (Zielinski, 2016). Athletes have a very high potential to abuse drugs, like all of us. However, athletes are not tested as frequently as they should. There are many other jobs in the United States where employees are drug tested every year. These techniques should also be used in the sports sector (Zielinski, 2016). These players earn ridiculous amounts of money, and it becomes even more unfair when they use drugs to enhance their skills. They are destined to become athletes because of a specific talent in playing skill, not because drugs gave them this ability. This is just one of the many reasons why I don't agree with these high salaries. The highest paid doctors earn around 500,000.