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Justin Andersen
Carlie Kerkman
Jose Valdivia
Carol Sieverts
English 2010
11/5/2014

Athletes: all make but few give

In the NFL league minimum salary in 2009 was $310,000. That figure will rise to
$325,000 in 2010. The lowest sports salary was from MLS. The MLS is required to pay the
minimum salary of $40,000. (What Do Pro Athletes Earn?).
The salary of each league varies widely based on the popularity of each league. This is
clear that the NFLs minimum salary is roughly eight times more than the minimum salary of an
MLS athlete. When an athlete is brand new in their professional career, on average, they still
make 6 times more than the median household income in the U.S.
The median household income in the United States is $46,326 (How much does the
average American make?).This represents a major concern that must be addressed when even
the minimum payment for a new professional athlete is 6 times more than the amount of the
average American household. It is interesting to note that the median household income is
representative of household, which have solid employment. So, this means that these
households either have a degree or a very usable skill used in their employment. It also implies
that these breadwinners are confident in their job security. For athletes this is the lowest salary
they can receive when in reality their salary can raise up to millions of dollars each year. One
example of this is the San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. San Diego Chargers

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quarterback Philip Rivers earned the highest total salary in 2009 at $25.56 million, though $19.5
million of that came via a signing bonus (What Do Pro Athletes Earn?).
Philip Rivers along with many other professional athletes from many different sports
will make roughly $24,953,674 dollars more than the average American household which is
about 538.65% higher. Think of how all that money could be used to address issues that plague
the communities we live in?
One area that could use a lot of the money that these athletes are receiving is
education. Education is one of the things we take for granted in our lives when we observe how
most students approach their education. We see students skipping school, cheating on tests,
plagiarizing all their papers, and then the dreadful study habits that are created. This is a
problem that must be taken seriously and addressed quickly. What could be causing all the
things to happen there could be many factors, but one we can look at is how underfunded our
education system is. Ann Robertson a writer for GlobalResearch said this regarding public
education. Teachers in public education throughout the country have been struggling for
decades, trying to educate children with insufficient funds and resources. But the present
economic crisis has gutted even these inadequate budgets so that many teachers can now only
pretend to educate, given the impossible conditions ("The Underfunding of Education in
America."). This statement holds so much truth it shows this isnt a recent issue that has come
up this has been a problem that has been around for year. If this is the case then its about time
to step and tackle this problem head on. Just consider if we were able to take a percentage of
the salary that a professional athlete earns, and the organizations they work for, think of all the
things we can change. We can make sure every school in the United States has all the resources

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they need to provide a true and worthwhile education to those students who are seeking after
it. We can also take care of the facilitators of our education system, our teachers. Now, some
people would argue we just need to raise the pay of our teachers but will this really solve the
problem? A system that may help the issue of poor teaching could be the idea of pay flexibility.
Andrew G. Briggs a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute said public-school
teachers receive total compensation roughly 50 percent higher than they would likely receive in
the private sector. Does this mean that all school teachers are overpaid? No. But it does mean
that across-the-board pay increases are hardly warranted. What is needed is pay flexibility, to
reward the best teachers and dismiss the worst (Biggs). This is an idea that could really work if
we took the time to evaluate how a teacher is doing their job then base their pay on that could
be massive changes in the nation. This could help us really pay and support the teacher who
take their job seriously and do it well while also eliminating those teacher who arent doing the
job we need them to do. Education is an area that deserve all the time and money we can focus
on it. Of course as we acquire these new resources we need to continue to be vigilant and
monitor how that money is being used and be sure its being applied to the right areas.
Also, with the extra money we would have if we took a percentage away from the
athletes we could make progress against the United States national debt. At this moment the
national debt is $17,970,636,429,000. This a huge mountain of debt that has been created over
years has been created by 4 main factors Reduced tax payment, Automatic increases in
unemployment insurance and food stamps, and people starting social security* early because
they cant find jobs, Military spending also increased, but is now fading, Bushs TARP and
Obamas Jobs Stimulus account for little of the deficit, and they are temporary (ZFacts). Now

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the funds from these athletes wont solve the main causes of our national debt but it can help
us get moving in the right direction.
So what can we do to put this money in areas where it is needed? Of course we cant
just take it from the athletes or raise taxes on them. Well, if we look at who professional
athletes are, they love to be in the spot light and look like their good people. This could be a
great way to encourage these athletes to give back to the communities they grew up in. Lynn
Zinser a sports reporter at the New York Times said Professional athletes form a special group of

prospective charitable givers. Many come into their money very quickly: one day they are
college athletes who are not even allowed to hold a job, and the next they are signing a
contract that lifts them into the financial stratosphere. Some, like Mr. Barber, eventually decide
to give something back. Others never do. But even among those athletes with charitable
leanings, the record is uneven. Many never advance beyond making appearances, contributing
nothing more than time and autographs (Lynn).
We can achieve this goal by using one thing that unites the athletes and the community
the media. Professional athlete are all over the radio, internet, television and also our
newspapers and magazines. Information on the latest happenings reaches people in just a
matter of minutes. The vision of media reaches even the remotest corners of the country and
makes sure that everyone is aware of what is going on in the country. The easy and swift
availability of any given information makes media one of the most reliable sources for forming
public opinion. It bridges the gap between the leaders and the masses by becoming their
channel of communication. ("Effects of Media in Our Society").Professional Athletes are
always trying to boost their ego or reputation in a positive way and we can have massive effect

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on how the Athletes feel about giving back. When an athlete gives back to his community we
need to make it a huge event let the newspapers, magazines and television create huge stories
about it. This will let them see that this could help them become more well-known and famous
as players for the resources they give back to their communities. Then hopefully as they do this
they will feel how great it is to give back to a great cause and then will desire to continue these
charitable habits. If we can instill this mentality in these athletes and give them a sense of
responsibility, a duty to the communities they grew up in and the charitable desire to make the
world around them better for everyone the whole country will benefit and life will improve for
every American.
So what are we going to do now? We have professional athletes that are making
ridiculous amounts of money. They spend this money on million dollars yachts, massive homes
all over the world, car collection that could make used car lots look small. Even with this money
some athletes still end up broke because they never learned how to save, budget, and take care
of their money. Lets take some of the money we give to these athletes and use the money to
assist our nation with our education system to ensure a successful future for our kids. Also help
us start to resolve the U.S national debt that must be addressed and overcome. We have given
these athletes so much money we deserve to see more of that come back to us. Our
communities could benefit so much from taking a small portion from these Athletes. Now what
will we do keep these athletes so rich they dont even know what do to with their money or
make sure they give plenty back to the communities that allow them to have their dream job.

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Works Cited:
Andrew Biggs - Are Public-School Teachers Underpaid?" National Review Online. Web. 4 Nov.
2014.
"Effects of Media in Our Society." What Are the Effects of Media in Our Society? Web. 9 Nov.
2014.
"How Much Does the Average American Make? Breaking Down the U.S. Household Income
Numbers." My Budget 360 RSS. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
Lynn Zinder. "Athletes Practice the Giveback." The New York Times. The New York Times, 12
Nov. 2 2006. Web. 6 Nov. 2014.
"The Underfunding of Education in America." Global Research. Web. 4 Nov. 2014.
"What Do Pro Athletes Earn?" AOL Jobs. CareerBuilder, 2 Aug. 2010. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
"ZFacts." Web. 5 Nov. 2014.