this post was submitted on 28 Nov 2023
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My unpopular view is, why do athletes get paid this much to play a game they'd play anyway even if they weren't paid anything at all? I don't begrudge Patrick Kane his $2.75 mil a year, but I'd be willing to do it for half that and much more poorly than anyone thought possible. I just think all these inflated salaries are ridiculous when there's so many people who could use financial help out there, who have jobs but can't make ends meet and work at a job every day instead of just playing a sport a few days a week.
I'd be inclined to agree but they are only getting paid their dues based on how much the sport makes. There are far more people that do very little for their money within the NHL.
Oh yeah I totally realize that. The ones who really rake it in probably do the least amount of work in most franchises. Still I think that packaging athletes as commodities who can be bought off for millions is kind of anti-sportsmanlike in some ways.
Not unpopular, but not an easily fixable one. While people who pay hundreds of dollars to go to games or get TV packages can certainly donate to causes and many of them do, the NHL, players and TV networks can also donate and do more in the community. Ultimately my question is why can't both happen where elite athletes get paid, and society still takes care of people in need?
Because humans get bored easily and like having something to rally behind
Our team better than your team and we do anything to prove (luckily nowadays it's mainly by spending more money than breaking kneecaps)
I realize that and I get that players are commodities to sell products, but really I think the salaries are ridiculous. I've seen how such inflated salaries motivate kids to skip school in the belief they are going to get signed on to professional sports franchises and become millionaires overnight.
I don't disagree, but..
I know that professional sports is a lot of training and a lot of hard work, but why is it a several-million-dollar a year job. I mean, it's no wonder so many high school kids want to go into professional sports, thinking they'll be paid millions to just do something they'd be doing anyway on their time off.
And I'm not sure in what way they contribute to society other than playing a game for entertainment. There's value in that, yes, but mostly for the networks and these athletes would probably play no matter what salary they got - if not, then obviously they aren't really athletes but just paid actors.
Also shorter careers than most fields, and high injury risk of shortening it even further. My concern is the folks fighting to get into, and stay in the league, making very little comparatively. But they still have the same risks to not be able to function properly due to injury, but don't have the security of big earnings during a decently long career.
People give value to the franchise they play for. For example, a good player might increase the sales of a jersey for the team. Players are in a way, like influencers, but constricted to commercials and team goods.
And that's true, but why and how is it worth several million dollars in salary? I mean what you're saying is, they're paid to be a commodity to sell products - which I think is very true - but I still believe the salaries are ridiculously over the top.
Players associations. Basically player unions
That's a big part of it, to be sure. I didn't take the unions into account.
Uberwealthy people own sports franchises for the most part. It’s an investment to keep the populace entertained. If we don’t have things to entertain and distract us, we might actually notice that’s things are pretty not okay, and that there is a not so subtle boot on all of our necks.
That’s why they get paid so much.
It mostly started back in the 70s/80s when team owners managed to turn it into big business. They were making bank with tickets sales, merch sales, sponsorship deals etc and the players were getting pissed. After all, they were the ones out there doing the work and getting hurt so they demanded more compensation. It kind of snowballed from there with prices and salaries going ever up.
Back in the 60s/70s my grandparents owned a restaurant near the LA Rams practice field. Most of the players were regular customers and my grandpa had several team signed footballs that they gave him. At that time most of the players also had off-season jobs. My parents bought their first house from one of the guys who was a realtor.
It's true that it's become really big business. I really can't blame the players for wanting more exorbitant salaries, I would too if I were them. Everything is a big business anymore.
I grew up in the 60s and 70s, and I remember when football players made pretty average salaries, like a business man might make in a year. Things have really changed.