Do Professional Athletes Make To Much Money
Are professional athletes overpaid? This question continues to permeate conversations from the board rooms to locker rooms; to street corners and beyond. How much is too much money for an athlete to earn. Folks will argue that the money could be spent on increasing teachers salaries as they are responsible for sculpting the minds of the American youth. Athletes make more money in one day than most Americans will make in a lifetime. New York Times best selling author David Epstein posed the following question. “Are stars like Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, and Serena Williams genetic freaks put on Earth to dominate their respective sports? Or are they simply normal people who overcame their biological limits through sheer force of will and obsessive training?” If they are normal people should they receive normal salaries? However if they were put on ear to dominate their respective sports, shouldn’t they receive the millions that they demand for compensation. As an amateur golfer I played golf on my high school team and with the First Tee Program of East Lake in Atlanta, Georgia. I have been privileged to watch and work amonst some of the greatest golfers in the world to include Tiger Woods, Matt Kuchar and Lee Westwood at the Fedex Classic in Atlanta Georgia. I was able to serve as a standard bearer in 2012 for Matt Kuchar and Lee Westwood and . I’ve witnessed a sporting event first hand that draws in annual crowd of over 700,000 fans over a 4 day period for just one tour championship. With an average ticket price of $100 for two days of access; I believe that athletes earn every penny that they make. The Fedex Tour Championship rakes in more than seven hundred million dollars not inclusive of sponsorships, merchandizing, t.v advertisements, and revenue generated for the city that is hosting the event. The prize money offered at the Fedex Cup Championship is miniscule in comparison to the overall money that is generated. Let’s not forget that these