Are they really worth that much?

When I heard the recent news that the LA Dodgers had surpassed the New York Yankees in total payroll for the team, my first thought was that now two teams have gone over the cliff.  The average pay for a Dodger is now 4 million dollars a year.  Why are we so enamored with athletes that we pay them this kind of money?

I’ve heard the argument that their careers are shorter and they need to make all their money in a short period of time.  How many people do you personally know who will make 4 million dollars in a lifetime?  If these athletes have to make their lifetime salary in 10 years, then let’s be a little more realistic about that salary.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that a person holding a Professional degree is the highest paid per week so let’s use that number.  At $1,714/week, this professional would earn $89,128/year.  The athlete. with a Bachelor’s degree or less, is earning $4 million/year.  More value is placed on athletic skill than professional achievements.

Interestingly, it is the lower paid workers who scrap together the money for the tickets to pay these over-priced salaries.  The high school diploma worker making $651.00/week should balk at paying the average cost of $27.73 (2013 prices) for a ticket.  That poor worker had to work 1-1/2  hours to earn that ticket price in gross wages.

  I realize that a lot of revenue to support these teams is raised from advertising and the sale of officially recognized merchandise.  That, too, raises the question of why are fans so willing to pay $60.00 for a jersey bearing the name and number of their favorite player?  That same high school graduate worked 2-1/2 hours to pay for that item.  If our average worker supports the team through purchases of products from the advertisers, a whole day’s wages could be spent within the week.

In the meantime, the athlete with the $76,923.08 weekly income, is wearing tailor-made suits, designer shirts, driving an expensive car and living in a multi-million dollar house in a gated community.

Mickey Mantle, who is one of the greatest baseball players of all time, earned $100,000 for the 1963 season when he had a .314 batting average.  Translated to 2014 dollars, this equals $766,608.55.  Do current players who usually don’t break .300 as a batting average deserve equal pay to Mickey Mantle?  I think this is the maximum scale that should be used for paying athletes.  No one is worth $4 million for playing a season of baseball.