Are baseball players overpaid?

[M_Six]

From The Boston Globe:

Using the salary figures recognized by the commissioner's office, Ramirez is due to be paid $20,223,976 by the Sox next season, while Garciaparra is due $11.5 million. Rodriguez, meanwhile, is due $21,026,693 from the Rangers next season, just slightly more than Ramirez. But A-Rod is due a total of $179 million through 2010, while the Sox are obligated to Ramirez for an additional $97.5 million through 2008, a difference of more than $81 million. That's a huge obligation for the Sox to take on, but with Garciaparra due to earn a huge payday as a pending free agent, the Sox would be saving more than $10 million this season and even more down the road if they move Ramirez and Garciaparra and acquire A-Rod.

$179 million to play baseball. Unbelievable.

[HfdWolfPack]

ALL athletes are overpaid.

They need to make realistic salaries so that an average family of four can go more often.

[tmx468]

Originally posted by HfdWolfPack
ALL athletes are overpaid.

That is a false statement.

Athletes are seriously underpaid, and underfunded.

Football (both forms, American and 'Soccer'), Baseball, are just greedy.

Over here, we have a strange situation:

In the soccer Premier league, the average wage of a player is around £40,000 per month.

However, in the Rugby premier league, the average for a player is £50,000 per YEAR.

Rugby players are more than happy with their wages - they do what they love for a living, and earn good money.... tell the soccer 'stars' to earn that money, they would laugh at you...

[M_Six]

There are some instances where international athletes get paid unreal sums of money; for instance, Michael Schumacher, the Six-Time World Champion Formula One driver, takes in $80-100 million per year between his Ferrari contract and his sponsorships. And IMO Schumacher does more to earn his pay than Manny Ramirez ever thought about doing. Schumacher risks his life every time he gets in the car, and he consistently delivers. He's won an incredible percentage of races he's entered and has been on the podium for the majority of them.

But by and large it's the American/Canadian pro sports athletes that make the big bucks, especially when compared with European athletes.

[HfdWolfPack]

Originally posted by tmx468


That is a false statement.

Athletes are seriously underpaid, and underfunded.

Rugby players are more than happy with their wages - they do what they love for a living, and earn good money.... tell the soccer 'stars' to earn that money, they would laugh at you...

Maybe I should clarify....The top 4 American sports' athletes are overpaid.

10 MILLION A YEAR to throw a ball through a metal hoop!?!?!?! What risks are there in that?...except maybe getting caught in a hotel...nevermind


Don't get me wrong, I love sports, but when I have to practically spend a weeks pay to take the family to a 3 hour event (decent seats), it gets ridiculous.

[RayH]

If you think about it, probably the astronomical salaries of the athletes contributes to the greed in the board rooms. Lebron James, just out of high school, gets $90 million. Most industry leaders figure they are worth as much to society as Lebron James.

But I definitely feel if a team can pay these types of salaries, they can build their own arenas and stadiums. Those facilities are their factories. Why should I subsidize those multi-million dollar salaries.

I bet if the owners had to pay for their own stadiums, the salary structure would be a lot different!

[Creatures]

they play the game, they are good at it, that's enough for me!

Creatures

[zen]

Do bears $h|t in the woods?

[The Real Bingo]

As long as I'm not paying their salary, I dont care how much they make.

I dont believe that athelets should earn more than doctors though. Doctors save lives, while athletes just play a game. And if it wasnt for doctors, where would all these injured athelets be anyway?

[Martoch]

Originally posted by HfdWolfPack
10 MILLION A YEAR to throw a ball through a metal hoop!?!?!?! What risks are there in that?...except maybe getting caught in a hotel...nevermind

Originally posted by The Real Bingo
As long as I'm not paying their salary, I dont care how much they make.

You're not? What about ticket prices?