Why do athletes get paid millions of dollars all for just playing a sport?

Question

I mean I play sports but i'm not rich. and I wouldn't say I'm not too bad either. But the money is ridiculous. I used to think they play for the game for their city, to win, not just for the money. What's up with that?

well yes I see that its supply and demand. I almost knew that just wanted to see some opinions and answers. now I might choose a best answer. but I don't know which. Keep answering please so I can find a clear best answer! THANKS!

i don't know which one to choose for a best answer. I may let you vote. so far i am leaning towards the first and a few others that I won't reveal. Don't forget to kepp answering and please ADD A STAR. Thanks very much!

Answer 1

supply and demand -- like the rest of the entertainment industry

millions of people watch, so the advertisers want that many people to see their products advertised, the team owners and the players unions rack up the bucks in advertising and merchandising. As long as we're buying the products we see in the commercials, and as long as we buy tickets to the games and the jerseys to wear, they will keep charging those ridiculous prices.

The kids that go on through college to the pros are not just good... they are exceptional and they train hard every day from their early teens in order to maximize on their natural athletic abilities and develop sport-specific skills. Consider this: in the NBA there are 30 teams with 15 players each -- that's 450 active NBA players a any given moment. Just 450! out of the millions of kids that play on their High School Varsity team and think they're "not too bad either" like you do.

And not all of them get multi-million dollar contracts, nor mega-million merchandising deals. Yes, other pro-sports have more players in total; but again, not all of them are household names, so most of them don't get the huge salaries. The lesser-known players still need to earn a decent salary because it is a demanding job that is hard on a family. They will have some degree of celebrity, even if only among the local fans, but with that comes some risk to their privacy and how they want to raise to protect their families.

What I would like to see is a salary based on production, like most of the rest of us in the real world. I'll use the NBA as an example, because it's the game I like and know best...
Have a set base annual salary say, $100,000.00 per year
(add another $10,000.00 for every year of experience)
Pay $500.00 for every game they play as a starter;
Pay $100.00 for every minute they are active in the game;
Pay $10.00 each per point, block, steal, assist, etc.;
Pay a $500.00 bonus to all players for every win to encourage team spirit, even for the guys that didn't get any playing time;
Raise the values by 20% for each round of the playoffs that they advance through, with a nice bonus if they win the championship.
This way, the players that work hard and help the team advance (such as Jason Kidd) get justly rewarded, and those who are half-hearted in their effort won't get more than they're actually worth (such as Vince Carter, whom I'd have sat on the bench for as lackluster a performance he offered in this season and post-season).

Answer 2

Many of the previous answer were good and i'd just like to add the fact that they paid a small percentage of the profits that they are responsible for generating. Think about how much owners pay to buy a team.... they're not just doing it for charity... My point is not only can owners spend a ton in acquiring a team, at the same time pay the high dollars to athletes who risk their lives (while doing the actual work) and still make a profit.

Go figure. Just do the math looking at the number of players in a given league vs. the income generated. It's just profit sharing with those "rare / talented individuals" responsible for generating profits... Similar to movie stars and other entertainers.

Many of us can play sports, but how many can say we're among the best in the world and people will pay top dollar just to watch us perform... ?

Answer 3

Playing a sport is a year round is an incredibly demanding thing. People don't realize just how much work it takes and how hard it is to play a certain sport. They commit their whole lives just to play that one sport. Just watch a game and think: Could I make 40% of my shots in basketball, block a 300 LB defensive tackle, Hit a homerun off a 90 MPH fastball, or even stop a 100 MPH slap shot?

Answer 4

i will never get the idea my self
been wondering why about it also
for me i dont care much about the money thing
in a way i dont need it as much others do
what made me really think about that
that some people who are really in need of the money
run and run to have a job and take many faces of insults
and get paid what
5 , 10,15 USD per hour
and those athletes if we said foot ballers
they run in a field for several minutes and get paid millions
that is so absurd
i dont know why is it
but in a way i hope this will change one way or another
because its totally pointless
others are starving in time those are having fun
taking spot lights and fans and so and so
though they r not doing any good to the world or something really important
sports is important only for those who practice it
i wont get the good body just for watching who ever that athelete is
gee...its really annoying

Answer 5

It is all about money. If seems now of days that athletes has become more intrested in making money and forgetting about the sport itself. Athletes are no different than people working for a big company.

Answer 6

They get paid millions of dollars because they generate BILLIONS of dollars worth of revenue. No one is paying $200 for box seats to see your daughter's 3rd grade spelling bee so teachers don't get paid like athletes. It sucks, I know, teachers are certainly worth more, but in a capitalist society, you get paid based on what kind of revenues you help generate.

Answer 7

the teams make that much money for charging people to see the games, charging tv stations to show games everyone wants to see, and other things like that, so they can use the money to pay the athletes. the better an athlete is, the more people will want to see the game. also, athletes get millions of dollars in promotional things like commercials and magazine ads. i hope this answered your question!

Answer 8

Athletes are paid millions because their message reach farther than anybody elses besides them. When the superbowl is played it reaches millions upon millions of people, when the World Series is played it reaches millions upon millions.

Answer 9

well we dont just pay them to play sports....we pay them to be our role models.....athletes are in the best shape that a human being can be and have skills that most people only dream about.....think about all the athletes in the world....only 1% of them are getting paid professionally...we pay them for being good at what they do just like musicians, doctors, engineers, teachers, singers, painters, artists, etc.

Answer 10

Because alot of people want to watch them play and are willing to pay alot of money for tickets to do so. The athletes we see are the very best at their sport, so there's also the factor of "supply and demand."