Athletes around the world are paid ridiculously high salaries to play on teams. These salaries are not deserved, because these athletes do not risk much for these positions. Professions offering similar pay depend on degrees and the simple fact that other people's lives are in their hands. Several reasons led to the conclusion that these people should receive a lower salary. Opposing views on this issue have been considered and these ideas are considered rational, but they will only hinder the success of others. These wages must be reduced if the United States is ever to close the wage gap. High salary should be associated with education and responsibility, and not depend on sports skills. There are several more deserving professions for salaries above a million dollars. In my opinion, this is unethical and unfair to those who contribute much more to the betterment of this country and society. The pursuit of happiness is a right granted to all citizens, but paying large sums of money for entertainment harms the professional success of others. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Don't get me wrong, I love nothing more in life than playing and watching sports. However, I find that the salaries granted to athletes are extremely high. These controversial issues are not new to the public, but little has been done to resolve them. I think not only are athletes overpaid, but many entertainment professions also fall into categories like this. People like Kim Kardashian, Nicki Minaj and Kanye West are all paid way more than they deserve. High pay was now based on education and risk, but people were paid more in these professions for a minimal amount of work. I'm certainly not suggesting that athletes don't train hard, but do they deserve a higher salary than, say, a doctor or a soldier? These high salaries awarded to athletes only worsen the wage gap in the United States, and if such cases continue, the gap will only grow. Athletes don't deserve these high salaries because the only impact they have on the world is through entertainment. Sports are very popular all over the world. They can be played from a young age, watched at any time of day and are a healthy activity for families, friends and even strangers. Games are also represented in several forms of video games. Games used to be for pure fun, which to me is their purpose. However, this is not the case for several athletes from teams such as the Cubs, Browns and Miami Heat. These players earn ridiculous amounts of money simply by excelling in a specific sport. Gambling is no longer about the thrill and ease of a game, but rather about the money and endorsements. Before researching these topics and expanding my understanding, my perspective would definitely agree and say yes, they deserve these salaries. There are several valid reasons that could help explain this response, which will be discussed further below. But now the shocking facts must be revealed. Such ideas changed my mind on the whole subject. As part of my research, a Cornell University blog brought to light many ideas that could change anyone's mind on these topics. According to the Cornell website: "In the summer of 2010, LeBron James, one of the most popular players inNBA, was deciding between signing with the New York Knicks, the Miami Heat or the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although he claimed that the choice was difficult for him, this difficulty did not depend on the salary. Each team was willing to offer him an annual salary of approximately $19.2 million, a staggering sum for more than 99 percent of Americans today, where the average household earns $45,000. Is it possible to say that the work LeBron James does (i.e. playing a game) is worth more than 400 times more than that of the average American? “. (Cornell University, 2011). In my opinion, it is absurd to think that one person can literally earn 400 times more than another. Understand that with the implementation of a free economy, such as that of the United States, this is physically possible, but how can this even become a reality? Do athletes really deserve a salary several times higher than that of the average person? No, the answer is definitely no. For those who are struggling to pay their mortgage, struggling to put food on the table, and those who are underpaid for what they do, these ideas can be quite frustrating (Mueller, 2014). Personally, it was heartbreaking to discover these statistics. These players usually demand fixed amounts of money and receive them. Sports in general generate a lot of funds, but those funds could be used to improve the world. Take for example the President of the United States. I'm not sure of the specific technicalities of Trump's salary, but on average, a president makes $400,000 a year. The average athlete receives about $13.5 million per year, not counting unaccounted endorsements. (Patel, 2013). Even those who oppose my view must admit that it seems a bit outrageous. It is mind-boggling that the person who runs the entire country earns less than an athlete. This is where we realize that there is an extreme and urgent problem that needs to be addressed. Some critics, who oppose my position, might argue that Trump is not a worthy adversary to help me express my views. Perhaps due to his extreme wealth other than presidential salaries. I would now like to explain to these critics the reality of ordinary people's lives and the impact these salaries have on them. In 2015, the Census Bureau conducted statistics on the number of people living in poverty in America. This data concludes that some 43.1 million people are below the poverty lines set by the government. This equates to approximately 13.5% of the entire country. So while Trump certainly has salaries to make up for the lack of salary as president, many people in the country are living very poorly (povertyusa, 2015). If that's not mind-blowing enough, when you realize that the top 1% of Americans, the richest people, own more than the other 99% (rt.com, 2014). Those who have even a little ethics in mind can understand the problem. Athletes and other artists donate millions of dollars a year to different organizations, but for them, it's pocket money. The wealth gap between the upper, lower and middle classes is narrowing. It seems that there is no middle class these days, only rich and poor. This is seen as there is a division of 1% having more wealth than the rest of the 99%. (rt.com, 2014). These gaps cannot be narrowed even slightly without huge changes being implemented. I think paying artists less is definitely part of that process. The minimum wage is about $7.25, at least in Pennsylvania. If he is a waiter, he may even earn less than that. In most cases this does notdoesn't even cover a single meal. While Lebron James is paid $6 for a single second on the field (Leung, 2014). When one person is paid almost as much for a second as another for an hour, we certainly have some problems to solve. How can hourly wages be so low, and how can the poorest Americans live on such low wages? These are questions that have been asked for many years, although little effort has been made to resolve these issues. Many are aware of these problems, but the solution is not easy, if not impossible to say the least. This higher percentage controls many aspects of how payments work. These are the same people who make a lot of money, so they certainly wouldn't implement changes in favor of the majority. Instead of taking a utilitarian approach, they appeal to ethical egoism. Which works in their favor, rather than good for the greatest number of people. America is also a free market economy, as we briefly touched on above. Since the average person is unaware of this definition, I will include one from Wikipedia. I understand that this website is questionable, however, it summarizes the concepts better than any other site. Thus, according to Wikipedia: “a free market is a system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by the free market and consumers, in which the laws and forces of supply and demand are free from intervention of a government, prices -establish a monopoly or other authority” (Wikipedia, 2017). The reason I included this information is to reason against my opposing sides. Those who agree with these wages could certainly blame the economy. Which is not wrong, but they are completely accurate. This is extremely related to how the government runs things, but with my definition given above, I would like to refute this reason. As the definition above claims, this wage is primarily determined by the consumer. Although sport is not a market, it constitutes one in another way. Transactions are certainly being made. Whether it's equipment, games or other financial means. One would be amazed at the amount of money someone will pay for a season pass or front row seats. This money is given freely by consumers to enjoy this entertainment. It's not the government that controls this money, it's each of us. I have been guilty of such acts, but I never realized how much it actually affects the rest of society. I always thought watching games was harmless, however, I no longer feel that way. I now see more clearly that by supporting these events, we are supporting a celebrity like Floyd Mayweather, who makes $85 million a year. Forbes ranked him as the highest-paid athlete in the country, and quite possibly in the entire world as well. Floyd is involved in boxing and his fights are not even free to watch on television in most cases (Forbes.com, 2012). Another position, which those on the opposing side often take, is that the athletes deserve their compensation since they provide valued administration. A perhaps shocking truth is that things in public space are not fair and are given because of popularity and not the effort or development behind them. They are more concerned about what they offer to society. Excellent mathematicians, scientists, and other scholars may spend many years coming up with another hypothesis that may not have a rapid effect on society, and they are neglected (Leung, 2014). On the other hand, there are“cloning” organizations that simply duplicate an item or administration from another person and resell it. Additionally, many people (including myself) enjoy watching professional games and will pay cash for tickets and stock to do so. Competitors are the reason these games exist and they reap a significant portion of the profits. Overall wages can be very substantial, but this is essentially a direct result of the magnitude of their effect. Most jobs are small, but competitors can influence billions of individuals through their execution (Leung, 2014). Many on the opposing side also argue that all well-paying jobs require work in some form. Athletes spend a huge amount of time training and going on extreme diets. Not everyone is equipped to handle these kinds of restrictions. Just as a businessman studies for a degree and devotes several hours to increasing his performance, an athlete trains and works to improve his speed and endurance. No job is hassle free, so how can one judge the actions and/or efforts of these players. I think a restrictive diet alone is difficult to implement. These athletes put a lot of fun aside to stay in tip-top shape for matches. These athletes must not only be fast, but also have wonderful precision in throwing, kicking, etc. I believe that many athletes work hard for their success, however, I feel like many do not. The drug scene is nothing new in sports. Many athletes use medications such as steroids to increase their endurance and strength. These medications can work wonders and transform a not-so-great athlete into an extraordinary player. Although many athletes must undergo mandatory drug testing upon acceptance into a contract, many are only tested during this time. This gives them plenty of time to consume substances. This technique is currently called doping (Zielinski, 2016). These doping techniques date back more than 2,000 years. Watching with the ancient Greeks. They were not using steroids, but rather a drug called strychnine. This medicine is used to improve speed and fighting abilities. These methods helped the Greeks during the Olympic Games then, and also help athletes today (Zielinski, 2016). The modern eras of doping began in the mid-20th century. It all started with a drug called amphetamines. These drugs act as a stimulant and are considered fast acting. Soldiers were well known for using these drugs. It was especially during the Second World War that athletes acquired these ideas. Soldiers could stay awake longer and were very aware of their surroundings. They demonstrated strength and precision worthy of a superman (Zielinski, 2016). During the same period, athletes began taking anabolic steroids. This medication mimics the hormone testosterone in men. These medications, however, are approved by the FDA and are not intended to be misused by athletes. These medications aim to help people regain their appetite and regain lost muscle. However, it has been made public that these medications can also increase strength while adding a good amount of muscle to the body (Zielinski, 2016). Athletes have a very high potential for drug abuse, like all of us. However, athletes are not tested as often as they should be. There are several other jobs in the United States in which.