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Is it over rated, or are they just over paid?

Cant we just get rid of any and all motorsports?

I mean, how much fuel does a Nascar, F1, Stock Car, Boat, Drag race use? (some dont use gasoline, sort of)

All the above talk about GDP and economics make perfect sense, and I am sure racing has its place...but cmon, its a bunch of gass guzzlers going around and around all for a small economic boost.

How much fuel would we save?

Then again, what would the rednex do on the weekends? Probably just wander around drunk and make it more of a bother than $5 a gallon because we just lost like 100 million barrels to racing fuels last year. So maybe its not worth it.

(forgive me if you like racing, thats not my problem :rolleyes:)
 
I think that Football players and basketball players make too much. Baseball players play way more games than Football and get paid way less. Still, I don't think any of em deserve as much as they get.
 
Finalday said:
Are there any people here that are like me? That believe sports are over rated? And the players are over paid?

This is not meant as an attack or a flame toward the sports related threads here. Just curious.
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Yes, I don't see why all they do is kick a ball around on a field and get payed thousands when theres people out there in 3rd world Country's that are struggling to get by on grains of rice and loosing family members due to lack of money for medial aid. I'm sure a footballer wont miss donating a couple of thousand pounds to save people's lives and try to get a cure for aids and other diseases

Another thing I don't get it why people cry over football, like if a team doesn't win a game some of the supporters cry. I hope no one takes that comment personally but to me I don't get it.
 
Yes, I don't see why all they do is kick a ball around on a field and get payed thousands when theres people out there in 3rd world Country's that are struggling to get by on grains of rice.
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This is one of my beefs with sports. They are so over paid, and set such a poor example for the kids that look up to them. Cops, firefighters, teachers and many others that help people get so little, but a drug using sports figure gets millions.

Yes, there are a couple figures that give to help others, but they are limited. And what's up with Euro footballers, that there fans get violent watching the game.
 
Mikey- said:
Yes, I don't see why all they do is kick a ball around on a field and get payed thousands when theres people out there in 3rd world Country's that are struggling to get by on grains of rice and loosing family members due to lack of money for medial aid.
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Athletes make that much money because they can generate that much money and more for their employers.

I'm sure a footballer wont miss donating a couple of thousand pounds to save people's lives.
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I'm not sure how it is in the UK, the pro sports organizations in the US (NFL, NBA, MLB, etc.,) are very big on athletes giving back to the community. Pretty much every pro player works w/charities, has a foundation, a college fund, or in some way gives back to the less fortunate (many times helping out in poorer parts of their home town/state).


Lethal

EDIT:
Finalday said:
This is one of my beefs with sports. They are so over paid, and set such a poor example for the kids that look up to them. Cops, firefighters, teachers and many others that help people get so little, but a drug using sports figure gets millions.
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So are you willing to pay for the massive tax hike that it will take to raise the salaries of cops, firefighters, and teachers to that of pro athletes?
 
Hmmm not a bad idea. Not the tax hick per say, but giving some of the stadium intake to the city/county where its at for the use of the cops and so forth. Nice idea :D
 
Finalday said:
Hmmm not a bad idea. Not the tax hick per say, but giving some of the stadium intake to the city/county where its at for the use of the cops and so forth. Nice idea :D
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If public money is used to help build the stadium then I don't see any problem w/a percentage of the stadium's revenue going back into the public coffers. If the stadium is 100% privately funded then thats a different story.


Lethal
 
Athletes. Much maligned. Overpaid, and underworked.

If so, then why aren't you an athlete?

If being an athlete didn't take raw talent, loads of dedication and training, then everyone would be one. Lets face it, who wouldn't want to make that kind of money?

Each team in the NBA (for example) is allowed to "dress" twelve players for a game, which adds up to about 360 players. Each team has a slightly larger roster than that, but even if for arguments sake it's double that, that's still only 720 players. Out of all of North America. Even if you apply a similar formula to every organized sport there is, you'll still find that the number of pro athletes is a fantastically small percentage of the total population.

Each year the bar is continually raised as training techniques, diet and supplements advance, making the field all the more competitive. And sure they get a lot of money, but they don't just go out on a little Rocky-style training montage, they go to expensive workshops, they have teams of personal trainers and nutritionists, and they run a serious risk that the next step they push their bodies to is going to be the one that finally breaks them. And if anything does happen to their body, they're toast. Their livelihood dries up unless they've got enough popularity to become a washed up spokesperson for a marked up $3 grill.

I don't watch organized sports, and I think it would be great if we payed police officers, nurses, and firefighters a wage more befitting of the risks they take. But the dedication of most athletes is something to aspire to, not look down upon.
 
Counterfit said:
You don't see theatre or music as art?
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Where does Britney Spears fit into that.:rolleyes: She's made millions and her music is not art.

I say pay a person what they are worth, if they are talented give them money, if not don't reward them. This goes for everyone not just entertainers. How many CEO's are making more than they deserve.
 
I don't think so. Athleticism is a valid career choice, though it's foolish to try to get by on that alone without a backup plan, especially when you're basically "retired" from the career by the time you've hit 40... unless you're Wayne Gretzky and you're still earning millions with endorsements today.

Anyway, I don't consider athletes to be any more useless to society than the countless corporations that provide other forms of entertainment. They're far more deserving of fame and fortune than, say, actors, at least; playing a professional sport is a consistent affair, unlike starring in a movie, for example. Those celebrities are the really overrated people in life.
 
They are paid the right amount for the entertainment they provide. If they were paid less then the team owners would have more money and that does not solve it. If the club owners charged less for tickets one would think that that is the answer. But then scalpers would buy the even cheeper tickets and sell them at the price that supply and demand puts them. So instead of the athletes getting the bonus it goes to scalpers.

Now if the demand for the tickets went down then it would hit every part of the chain and everything will go to equilibrium.
 
I think most athletes are overpaid but they do seem to get lots of permanent injuries so maybe some of that large pay is compensation. Some of my friends and family have injuries (bad knees and other joint injuries) from playing sports, things that last the rest of their lives and seem to get progressively worse over time. I see football players playing with broken bones. I guess if you spend your youth and health playing a game you may not be fit to do much after your career is over.

Bottom line, get an education to fall back on.
 
Finalday said:
Are there any people here that are like me? That believe sports are over rated? And the players are over paid?

This is not meant as an attack or a flame toward the sports related threads here. Just curious.
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Yes absolutely, and I'll take it a step further by saying that I think most sports (particularly football) are pretty much the lowest form of entertainment around. 3 hours of a bunch of neanderthals tackling each other. Big deal.
 
erickkoch said:
I think most athletes are overpaid but they do seem to get lots of permanent injuries so maybe some of that large pay is compensation. Some of my friends and family have injuries (bad knees and other joint injuries) from playing sports, things that last the rest of their lives and seem to get progressively worse over time. I see football players playing with broken bones. I guess if you spend your youth and health playing a game you may not be fit to do much after your career is over.
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That isn't "technically" part of their pay. Most sports figures that get injuries file workers compensation claims to get pay for those injuries and to pay for future treatment if the injuries continue to deteriorate. I know, I work for a law firm that defends insurance companies on some of these claims. I find it pretty amusing that someone making $10mil a year will file a claim for such small amounts to pay for future medical care.

And nice post Iscariot; two excellent posts in one thread, must be a record.
 
forafireescape said:
HECK YES. Please explain to me why they make millions of dollars for doing absolutely nothing productive for society...
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You know, I can understand being envious of the huge sums of money for playing a game and getting to have fun. But a quick google search will quickly show how statements like this are just silly:

Agassi, Armstrong, Ali, Hamm launch Athletes for Hope charity

Cowboys’ Hurd Shares Bonus With Family, Charity

That is just 2 examples. You could find thousands more if you wanted to. The question is do you want to find more? Or do you just prefer to believe jocks are overpaid, spoiled brats who do nothing for society?
 
Your jealousy is evident. Vote with your dollar; if you want to be entertained then you have to pay.

I can't imagine wanting to live in a world without sports, art, music or theater.
 
MacNut said:
How many CEO's are making more than they deserve.
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You don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate. ;)


Styyl said:
I don't think so. Athleticism is a valid career choice, though it's foolish to try to get by on that alone without a backup plan, especially when you're basically "retired" from the career by the time you've hit 40... unless you're Wayne Gretzky and you're still earning millions with endorsements today.
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They average career length of a pro athlete in the big leagues is only a few years. Most of these people are done playing sports for a living before they hit 30.


Lethal
 
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