Are Pro Sports Athletes Paid Too Much?

Many of us have fond memories of attending baseball games. Feel of our grandfather's hand clutching our tiny fist as we enter the arena. Watching our favorite player hit the homerun or run into the end zone. Our thrill of seeing our favorite team wins. Smell of peanuts and hot dogs still remind us of these moments. These moments are why many people still love sports.

Sports teams exist to provide entertainment. Families should be able to attend a game. Fathers and grandfathers should be able to pass on the same memories we enjoy. Many American families are not able to do this. Rising costs of tickets, beer, hot dogs, and even peanuts are prohibitive.

Few sports teams exist for the sake of providing entertainment. Owners want a return on their investment. They want the city to invest in a new ballpark or provide tax credits. Losing teams do not get these things. Winning teams must have winning players. This cycle that creates larger and larger player salaries. Money for these salaries is collected from attendees. Ticket prices are one of the places this money comes from.

Sport lovers should demand that team owners remember why they exist. We expect this from corporate CEOs. American demonizes CEOs for earning millions of dollars. Our media and fellow citizens call for their heads. We blame higher food and gas prices on high CEO salaries. However, we tolerate similar behavior from team owners. We allow professional sports players to make more than many CEOs.

I am not against professional sports. I enjoy a good football game myself. However, teams have moved from an American past time to a multi-billion dollar business. Families should not have to take out a loan to attend a game.

Lowering players' salaries is just one way to achieve this goal. Additional options include increasing the number of seats available to regular people. Climate controlled boxes that offer unlimited drinks and caviar are not affordable for the regular person. Five-dollar beers and six-dollar hot dogs are ridiculous. Beer distributors and hot dog manufacturers are not making special items for these events. These companies do not pay higher wages to their employees. Food companies should not be able to make exorbitant fees just because they can. If a generator company did this, after a hurricane, the government would sanction them. Sports companies should not be any different.

It is time that all sports lovers join the revolt. We should demand that owners listen to us. Make games affordable for all Americans or we will stop attending. We stop buying the memorabilia, shirts, hats, etc. We will vote with our pocketbook. The process of making sports games affordable can begin with lowering players' salaries.