Footballers.. paid too much?Or not enough?

Question

Why are Footballers paid in 1 week what the average person would struggle to earn in several lifetimes? And there are millions of starving families around the world?

Even those who earn say 10-15k a week is too much, If Clubs have all that money then it should be better spent or taxed for it... or possibly made to give a percentage to charity

Answer 1

Way too much. And what do they do? Kick a ball around? Now if it was a scientist producing a cure for cancer or someone actually doing some good for mankind no one would quibble at that figure being paid to them, but come on people!! A guy kicking a ball! Yes, it may be entertainment, but paid far too much for it. There are people all over the world starving, homeless, in need of help and this money could help them!!

Answer 2

Too much! I have a theory that a club takes the footballer's IQ, and then pays him that amount per week in UKP, multipied by 1000!

Seriously, there does seem to be an imbalance in the way our society rewards its people.

If, say, 11 professional football players were dropped into the middle of the Atlantic, nobody would be too troubled (except the players and their immediate families, of course!), but do the same with 11doctors and nurses from the team's area and thousands of people would be disadvantaged.

Now look at the the pay of the two groups...

Incidentally, when you compare the England team (as an example) with the leading teams from other parts of the world, most England players seem to be getting paid under false pretences anyway!

Answer 3

Look at it this way. As long as people are stupid enough to pay £25 - £50 to see a football match then wages will continue to be as high as they are Also remember that the TV rights to matches are enormous as the Premier League is shown all around the world. If the clubs weren't paid so much by the TV companies to afford the wages then this money would go elsewhere like in the TV company's pocket so being as it is the players who generate the entertainment why shouldn't they get it. Compare it with a pop concert. If Elton John or Madonna or the Rolling Stones did a stadium concert and got paid £3m for one performance of, say, an hour how come no-one complains at that?

On another note, I used to be a bank manager and amongst my customers I have dealt with five Premier League football players and two managers. Believe me they don't get paid what the press report. I also had a journalist who worked for the Sun newspaper and I once asked him how the paper knew how much players earned. His answer "We don't, we just make it up but it sells papers."

Players contracts are their business so don't believe everything youy read in the press. I remember one of my customers being part of a 'Double' winning side and his wages remained exactly the same. No bonuses or extra payments. When I asked him about it he said. "That's the way my contract is. A fixed sum whatever the result and, anyway, we're expected to win so that's built in to my wage structure." He played for one of the biggest clubs in the world, never mind the country and he was also an international.

If you want to criticise anyone blame the TV media who pay such high fees and the idiots who pay outrageous prices for tickets and replica shirts. They cost around £35 to buy and £1.50 to make.

Answer 4

Because the world is a very unfair place. Football teams and associations have stupid amounts of money and so can pay stupid amounts of money (same with the film and music industries) - states and governments don't, so really important jobs like nurses, teachers, police, fire brigades etc etc don't get paid anywhere near enough. I don't deny that these people are very skilled, but they only really entertain (as sport is merely a form of entertainment), and perhaps do a bit for national morale when they do well, but still, not worth the amount they get. I am no communist, I'm not even particularly socialist, but when I see our NHS, or worthy charities, really struggling and then hear that some footballer or other has been sold for millions it really makes my blood boil!!! On the other hand, as wrong as I think it is, I don't believe we have the right to stop them, it is their money, they have perfectly legally earned it via ticket sales and advertising/sponsorhip, so no-one has the right to say how they should spend it.

Answer 5

Too many get overpaid at the top of the tree. There should be a yearly wage cap, but with the allowance that should you earn over that amount from sources outside of the club (ie advertising, etc) then it is put in an trust for later years. That trust should then get tax breaks to allow donations to a central retire fund for ex-players. These lower paid players can pay into this fund during their career.

However what I think realling bugs people is not the wages the top players get, but what they spend it on and how its 'flaunted' in front of the general public by the press or self interested promotion. Its not often you hear how top business people spend their money but we all know about the football stars.

Answer 6

Hit a sore point there mate, i totally agree with what your saying though. How can you justify paying a footballer £100,000 a week, well honestly you can't. They run around a footballl pitch for an hour and a half a week and get paid more than the average man would earn in 5 years in 1 week.
Some people say F1 drivers get to much but i think they justify their pay more than footballers because atleast racing drivers risk their lives.

Answer 7

It's because the Football Association generates so much money that the clubs can easily afford to pay them as much as they do and could probaly pay them alot more if they wanted to, its not just footballers though, just look at actors, singers and models...etc. And some NFL and NBA players earn money that would make footballers look very average, anyhow i know a few premiership footballers who earn ridiculous amounts, but just like everyone else they pay taxes but also give genorous amounts to charity, so i dont think them earning that kinda money does anyone any harm really.

Answer 8

If a club doesn't pay a top player as much as he wants, he will move to another club willing to pay more. Then lower standard players in the same club will see how much these players re getting and demand a piece of the pie or treaten to leave on a bosman. This has built up over the years with top players wanting more and other player following. It's stemmed from the lack of loyalty shown by players driven by greedy agents. If players were loyal to their clubs they wouldn't demand more money as the honour of playing for and representing the club, actually playing top level footballand the adoration of the helpessly loyal fans would be enough.

Answer 9

It depends on the standard of football they play - the majority of Premiership players, and many Championship players, are paid very highly but it is not the case for all league clubs and all players (some players at Premiership clubs do not earn fortunes, as they don't make the first team or have the right agents).

I get your point that footballers can be viewed as overpaid (many are), but no more so than basketball players, formula one drivers, supermodels or movie stars.

Answer 10

Of course they are paid far too much. But that is the law of supply and demand in action. If Joe Public was really that bothered, then he would cancel his Sky Sports subscription, boycott the games and refuse to by all replica kits etc for their kids. But while they continue to pay £50 a month for TV, £50 for a match ticket and £50 for a tee shirt, football will continue to be a boom industry.