My main research question is ‘’do professional football
players make too much money? Many people are outraged because they feel that
NFL players make so much money playing a game while teachers and our Military
veterans are paid so little. Professional
football players get paid an average of about two million dollars per year. At
first people might think, wow, that is a lot of money, of course they are paid way
too much money for playing football. But when you look at the fact that they
spend their whole life training, sacrificing, and practicing to become an NFL
player and the average NFL career lasts about three years then it isn’t as much
as it seems. The players are the ones that bring in all of the money, as people
pay to see them play, buy their jerseys and other memorabilia and they bring in
a lot of more money than any of the other three major sports. Also, NFL players risk serious injuries that
can affect them for the rest of their lives, such as post-concussion syndrome
which we are only beginning to learn the long-term effects of. Of course many
would argue that our Military face much greater risks so then why are they not
paid as much as NFL players, but I think they are not overpaid.
If you consider that professional athletes are basically entertainers,
then this brings up many other questions such as how much are they getting paid
compared to other entertainers and how much are they being paid compared to
other professional athletes? How long does
an NFL player’s career last compared to athletes in other sports and entertainers?
I already know some answers to these questions but in order
to answer them all and to answer them well I am going to have to do some research.
Compared to other professional athletes not only are football players paid on
average the lowest salaries, their careers are also the shortest. Compared to entertainers they aren’t paid
nearly as much as an actor/actress, or a musician, whose career can last for
decades. Most NFL player’s careers are over before they have a chance to make
as much money as some actors make in a year.
This country is based on a supply and demand model. If there is a demand, it is supplied. If the demand is high, it bears a high price as well. It is such a good point you made regarding the risk professional sports players take with their bodies. I really like the chart of the body and the various common injuries that occur. They do have such a short playing time as well. However, many sports players live well off endorsements and sponsorships for years after they have retired from playing. Sports commentators and announcers are often ex-players. Their careers on or near the sports field are not necessarily over when they stop playing the game.
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