Athletes Getting Paid Too Much

I'm sure a lot of us wake up in the morning before attending to our daily life duties thinking, "God I wish I could make fast, easy money. What can I realistically and legally do achieve that goal?" I'm sure if you ask one of our countries professional athletes that question they will all be quick enough to answer that question. They would probably say "Be good at sports!” Despite all of the issues that these people go through with constant media attention and no privacy and perceptions of images, we should not feel bad for these athletes. They get paid way too much money for us to even think of sympathizing for them. In this blog my argument is that professional athletes are making way too much money in a society where salaries and wages are traditionally based on the value of one's work. Why aren’t the people that are important to our society like the president, fire fighters or police officers making that money? Those are the people that are struggling in this tough economic time. They’re the ones that are coming home with the smallest checks just trying to support a family. The duties that are done by these people are of much more difficulty then an NBA player or another professional sport. The pro athletes are the ones that make millions and never have to worry about living on the streets and not supporting a family. What do they do? They entertain people. I never understood in general why entertainers get paid more than the jobs that are vital to our living. A good example is teaching. Teaching is one of the most economically important occupations because our future economy relies on the education of its youth, yet teachers are paid a whole lot less than the average professional athlete is. 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. Obviously, what these individuals must not be aware of is someone like the most important man in our nation, the president, who makes critical decisions that affect the entire world every day, only makes $400,000 a year. While President Obama is hard at work reviving the economy, the unproven rookie in the MLB or NFL is earning way over what he makes. Something that these athletes should do to gain respect in my opinion would be to show the world that they are positive role models. These famous players must grow up, and prove to America that they can be positive role models for kids on and off the field. I think they can get some kind breathing space when it comes to their salaries, but the people that do daily work to help our countries growth should be overpowered by any amount of talent. Finally, what really confuses me is how athletes get upset when they say that millions of dollars won't be able to support him and his family, and that they need more. Millions of dollars can put food on the table, give you a shelter and send your kids to college. Why do they need more? If they have a couple of million they will be fine as long as they don't blow it all in the first year. What gets me even more is how after holding out for weeks, and sometimes months, the owners give in and pay them what they don't deserve! An example is Jamarcus Russel, the number 1 overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft. He is on a six-year $68 million contract, with $31 million guaranteed. In other words, 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. In any other job, if you don't perform to your expectations, you're fired. There is no guaranteed money. I happen to think that there is something wrong here. In conclusion the whole system that allows professional athletes to just run around in money is simply ridiculous, and it needs to stop. When I ask other people whether they think athletes are paid way too much money, most agree with me. Do you?