Are Professional Athletes and Entertainers Overpaid?

Are professional athletes and entertainers overpaid for what they do?

In recent years, Madrid soccer player, Cristiano Rinaldo, made 79 million dollars a year. Golf player, Phil Mickelson, made 50.8 million dollars per year. Many have argued that athletes are grossly overpaid while essential workers, i.e., people who save lives or teach the next generation, make anywhere from $22,000 to $400,000 per year. Others argue that large salaries are warranted because athletes work for a much shorter period of time, endure a great amount of wear and tear on their bodies, and generate a lot of revenue for a nation’s economy. Should salaries for “essential workers” better reflect their value in society?