Why is it that sports stars make hundreds of millions of dollars but more important people like teachers don't

Question

Seriously, what is more important? The salary of a sports star, or the salary of people like teachers, social workers, and other professionals who actually contribute to society in an important and beneficial way?

Answer 1

they are special. we are not. at least that is what i gather from the paychecks that they receive.

Answer 2

It's called capitalism and is generated by advertising industry. Basically, you are the one who decides that sport stars and movie actors should get more money because you are the one giving your money to them.

How about this, teachers get paid ~$20+ per hour to handle 20-30 kids. Babysitters get $10+ per hour to watch one kid. If teachers were paid the same rate as babysitters, they would make $300 per hour. Not to mention that teachers do more than babysitters such as teach the kids stuff.
Now suppose the teacher is in a stadium of 50,000 kids teaching at that rate. Then they would get $500,000 per hour or about $4 million per day. After 9 months of teaching they would make over one billion dollars a year.

Answer 3

This is a capitalist society. Sports stars make companies a lot of money, they get a cut of the profits. Teachers don't produce any sales, so they get a low income. It sucks, but it is logical.

Answer 4

It's all about supply and demand. I don't necessarily agree with it either, but think about how many thousands of people show up at sports stadiums each game and think about how much they each pay for their tickets.

Then there's the promotional tie-ins.

It's not going to ever change until people stop going to games, watching them on tv, and buying the products that sponsor the events.

Teachers don't get paid more because people don't want their taxes raised.

I'm sure we could pay them a little more without raising taxes, but that would require cutting funding to other things.

Answer 5

Well, if the sports players didn't make that money, the owners would be keeping it all.

It's easier to become a teacher than to become a sports superstar. It's a function of supply and demand.

Answer 6

we don't send our kids to school with money for tickets for a lesson on math.
folks don't like to pay higher taxes so teachers can make more, but they don't mind spending hundreds of dollars to see a football game.
sports stars, movie stars, it's the same. they call these people hero's. why??? because they can through a ball or memorize a line? they look pretty or handsome?
personally i think it is pathetic that this kind of thing goes on, but try to stop it???? want to stop it???? it will never happen.

Answer 7

It's about entertainment. Sports stars entertain millions of people, teachers at most a few hundred. Millions of people have more money than hundreds.

Answer 8

Its called the law of Supply and Demand. It's basic Economics. The Law of supply and demand describes how the price and availability of goods and services are related to consumer demand in competitive markets. It is one of the most fundamental economic models, widely used as a basic building block in a wide range of more detailed economic models and theories.

Answer 9

People that run track make less then people that play football. Football is popular and generates a lot of money.

Answer 10

good question, but unfortunately society today is more concerned with sports than they are with the welfare of the above occupations, some say that they "arent important" and of course they are, but most people don't recognize it

PS- thanks for the 2 points

Answer 11

And to top it all off, the athlete wouldn't be able to sign the contract if it weren't for his teachers.