Money and sport

[Jonmo1]

I read somewhere that a person is getting paid large sums of money to play a game.

They're not playing a game.

Professional Sports are a business. It is WORK. Professional is the key word. They are providing a service to the community - Entertainment. And yes, entertainment is an important service. It's not just a game to the athletes/coaches/front office people, It's how they make thier living, provide food and shelter for their families. If they are good at it, sure they should have the right to seek out whatever team (company / employer) will pay them the most. Just like You and I should have the right to seek out other employers that will pay more. And if one team can afford to pay more, so be it.

If all teams were paid equally, therefor equally talented, it would be a little boring. Sure each individual game might be a little more exciting, but in the long run, a little more boring. Because one of the most basic ideas behind why we like to watch sports, is that we like to see the underdog win. Anything can happen. If there is no underdog, it's less exciting.

Like last years NFL Superboal, the MIGHTY New England Patriots Vs. Middle of the road New York Gians. Patriots 18-0, undefeated for the entire season. It would have been extremely historic if the Patriots won. The single greatest season any NFL football team ever had. And then you have the Giants, with a mediocre record (I don't even know what it was). They barely made the playoffs. EVERYONE expected the Patrios to win. And the Giants pulled off probably the best upset ever. It was the BEST Superbowl Ever in my opinion because of the drama unfolding. Watching David beat Goliath.

 

[xyzabc198]

These people, say Baseball for example, work. During the offseason, they wake up at the crack of dawn, head out to the fields, and practice. They practice for hours every day. Doesn't matter if it is 30° or 100°, they are out there basically rehearsing what they want to re-enact for the fans. During the regular season, they are barely ever home to see their families for more than a couple of days at a time, then they are right back off to another city for another game.

I would still rather see a doctor earn this much than someone who, at the end of the day, is PLAYING a game...I enjoy playing basketball, and I play it everyday before and after work...I wouldn't call that work.

I'm glad you started that with "I don't know a huge amount about football". So are you saying that you think that the World Cup is full of players only playing for their own country? Money talks - even in international football.

France won the World Cup in 1998, half of their squad were born outside of France: Viera - Senegal, Zidane - Algeria, Thuram, Henry and Wiltord - Guadeloupe, Desailly - Ghana, Djorkaeff and Boghossian - Armenia.

...ooooooh, well excuuuuse me lol
No but seriously, they lived in there country for 5 years, at least they lived there, what I mean is, you cannot pay $10,000,000 for zinadine zidane to play for america (probably a terible example and pricing probably way off but oh well) but they have to use there own residents, makes it more fair than the rich teams having all the best players and poor teams have nobodies!

 

[Jonmo1]

I would still rather see a doctor earn this much than someone who, at the end of the day, is PLAYING a game

Are you SURE about that???

You have to realize the REASON athletes are paid so much. It's how business works. The public is willing to pay X $$ to go to a sporting event. So the Sporting teams can then charge X $$ for a ticket to that event, and then can afford to pay it's employees (athletes) X $$ per year.

Basically, the more you are willing to pay, the higher the price, the higher the athlete's salary. Some would say it's the reverse, the sporting teams will raise prices until a breaking point is reached where the public isn't willing to pay it anymore.

If a DOCTOR was paid millions of dollars a year, then the price of your medical care would go up just as much...


It's not a matter of who deserves the higher salary, it's a matter of how much companies can afford pay athletes and how much they can charge and how much the public is willing to pay.

A country or community of poeple that decides how much different professions are paid....That's called Communism.

 

[xyzabc198]

Yes I understand what you mean with regards to the high NI prices and such like, but at the end of the day, I wouldn't pay so much for ticket prices, some people do, and it's wrong that they should charge so much for them, yes I know if I owned a team I would charge as much as I could, but they could spend that money better on upgrading the grounds, or doing charity events rather than paying players such a large amount of money which is just for entertainment.
Put it this way, would you rather pay £1000 for a football match and then get your medical for £10 which would ultimately lead to rubbish doctors, or pay £10 for a footbal match and £1000 for doctors and know that you and your family would be getting the best doctors, and they would be, because at that sort of wage, everybody would want to be a doctor, resulting in more doctors being available, which means only the best would be employed...which is kinda how football teams work now, only the best fottballers get chosen

 

[Jonmo1]

I disagree completely.

People don't have a God or Country given Right to attend a sporting event. It is a priveledge and a luxury. Yes it's great that it is there, but for a price. And businesses have a right to charge whatever amount they want for their service or product.

And you'll probably think I'm the devil for saying this, but it's the same for medical care. Just becuase you were born, does not give you an inherent right for medical care. Yes it's there and available to you, but for a price. You have to work to earn money to pay for it. That is how society works, at least for right now. We haven't evolved to the Star Trek Era yet, where there's no such thing as money. and everything is provided by and for the community.

At least in the U.S. Our constitution says You have the right to "The persuit of happiness". You DO NOT have the inerent right to Happiness. You have the right to PERSUE and SEEK happiness, in whatever way you see fit for yourself. You have the right to LIVE, free from descrimination(and other things). But you DO NOT have inherent rights to ANY property, service, even food and water. It is entirely up to you to provide your own food, shelter, medical care and entertainment. No one is required to give it to you. Yes, the government and community DOES provide some of that to those who cannot provide for themselves. But it is not a REQUIREMENT of the government or community to do so. It is done because the government and community feels that it is the right thing to do. We do not have the right to complain that they don't do it in a way that satisfies you. Well you can complain, but don't expect anything to be done about it.

 

[Jonmo1]

And the Companies (the rich football team owners) have the exact same rights as the average Joe earning $10/hour. They are persuing their own happiness. And obviously having better success at it.

 

[Domski]

People don't have a God or Country given Right to attend a sporting event.

Since I started this thread things have been discussed far and wide:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7610137.stm

I do get where you are coming from Jonmo but I feel at the moment that the general feeling in the UK is turning against this tide of people being prepared to pay for the privilege of watching these events. The more money that the sports people are being paid the more the owners of these clubs require in income and the people that eventually pay for all this are the man on the street.

 

[kgkev]

you don't have to pay £30,000 for a car. you could pay £500

Its about the quality of the product you wish to buy. If you feel you don't need the best product to enjoy the experiance you can go for a cheaper alternative.

From Basingstoke I could travel for 2 hours to see chelsea play for around £100

I could travel 20 minutes to see Reading play for around £40

or I could ride my bike for 5 minutes and see Basingstoke town play £10

Even further I could walk to my local sports field and watch a local team play for nothing.

Its about Choice.



To comment on the "only the best footballers get choosen." this is not true. An average doctor will earn an average wage but the best doctor in the country will earn big money.

An average footballer (playing in the second division) will earn an average wage.

Its the same as any profession - If you are the best at it you will be paid more (as long as someone notices that is)

 

[xyzabc198]

What I meant by that remark was that a big team like Chelsea would not pay for an average Joe to play for them, and likewise a person that is a destructive force on the team more than an advantage...no team would want him on their side.
But I have to say, what you said made alot of sense...it is like either shopping at lidle (watching Basingstoke town) or shopping at M&S (Chelsea)