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Why Do Athletes Get Paid?

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In a society where jobs are scarce, people are cutting back, and families are losing their homes, athletes are signing huge contracts worth tens of millions of dollars. If you were a teenager who just got his first part-time job you would think making minimum wage ($13) was a fortune. I mean, working part time could bring in a paycheck upwards of $200! Now imagine you’re Lebron James. Your first paycheck from your first job got you almost 13 million for three years. Now, $13 an hour doesn’t sound too great in comparison to athlete’s salaries. LeBron’s salary is just one example of the absurdity surrounding athlete’s paychecks. In 2009, the average salary for basketball player was around 6 million. An average baseball player made around 3 million, a hockey player, around 2 million and football players made an around 1 million. The reason athletes are paid so much is because of the fans that “sponsor” them. These are ordinary Americans who idolize their favorite athletes and are willing to pay hundreds to see them play. Not only this, but the popularity fans bring to athletes gets those athletes advertising jobs and other ways of making money outside of their sport. The middle class is getting paid less …show more content…
They can do whatever they want. Many athletes have been involved in scandals, only to be forgiven by both the judicial system. Kobe Bryant was accused of sexual assault back in 2003 and the charges were dropped when his accuser refused to testify. However, Bryant still admitted to a sexual relationship with the woman. Afterwards Kobe won a couple of NBA championships and won back his fans. In 1991, Mike Tyson was accused of rape and put in jail almost a year later. Shortly after he was seen as one of the greatest boxers of all time and people forgot about his captivity. It is just silly how much America lets these athletes get away

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