Podcast

The speaker discusses the high income of professional athletes and questions whether they are overcompensated. They mention that while sports are entertaining, it may not be necessary for athletes to earn millions of dollars for playing a sport that others play for entertainment. The speaker also highlights the intense competition and low percentage of athletes who make it to the professional level. They suggest that the money could be used for other purposes such as funding for free streaming or lower ticket prices. The speaker acknowledges the importance of athletes and sports but questions the need for such high salaries. Growing up, we were surrounded by various amounts of entertainment on the TV. Whether it was your daily Spongebob episode or a game show, everyone had something they liked to watch. Most people grew up watching sports such as football, basketball, baseball, and picked a team they liked and stuck with their fan base, sometimes for lifetimes. It is because of this loyalty to sports that many people take it so seriously. After growing up watching a sport, you want to stay to play, and many do. Some even get it good enough to get scholarships to play sports in college, while some even take it to the next step, being a professional athlete. While the time and dedication is worth the overall fan base you may develop, is the pay worth being put on such pressure? Welcome back listeners, my name is Adriana and today we will be talking about the overall status of professional athletes' income. I believe professional athletes may be overcompensated for their work and may not need as much money as major leagues really give them. While I agree, sports are pretty entertaining at most points, a million dollar season contract for playing a sport that so many others play just for the sake of entertainment is really not that beneficial. Most doctors make a salary in the three figure range, and while their job might be more important than the function of society, they are not paid anywhere near a professional football player, who on average can make anything from $300k to $680k in just one year. The term professional athlete generates from the transition from one level of skill in a sport to another. The amount of time and talent it takes to make it pro is what people often refer to with the salary given. With most sports being worldwide, the amount of competition to make it to a professional level is overwhelming. According to the NCAA, fewer than 2% of NCAA student athletes actually end up going pro. This is not including high school athletes who go straight out of graduation. While I agree the time and devotion put towards a sport should be rewarded, I feel as though Aaron Rodgers getting millions of dollars just for playing his dedicated sport may be too much. This is not even considering how some athletes still get paid millions even if they are injured. The general wealth of some athletes is overwhelming, and most athletes get their money from sponsorship deals and advertisements, so adding millions more to their net worth from their contract is unnecessary. The league could put the money into something more reasonable, such as funding for free streaming on certain platforms so that fans can access it easier, or less costly ticket prices. Athletes and sports are essential, as they are an extreme part of culture in each society and bring people together, and while I agree the risk of your physical and mental health is due for a generous paycheck, I do not think millions of dollars is necessary. It is a heavy debate, but one that may not be solved for a while, so thank you for listening to today's episode of Podcasters, and have a great winter!