Athletes are deserving of their pay because they’re looked up to, as role models and leaders. …show more content…
To put it into perspective, the NCAA did a study and were able to estimate that “only 1.7 percent of college football players and 0.08 percent of high school players play at any professional level” (Morgan 1). Notice how the statistics say “any professional level.” This doesn’t even necessarily include the athletes with the high-paying salaries that are being talked about. This means that the 0.8% of high school players diminishes to even a smaller number. These athletes are special human beings who work hard to get there. A great point made by one author was that “These athletes are not directly replaceable. There is only one best” (Kevin 1). One would think that if they were better than everyone else in the world at something, that they deserve praise and success just like the athletes. People get angry because it’s not them that are in that position. Too much blame is put on the athletes, and it isn’t really fair. One famous football player named Vince Lombardi once said that “Leaders aren’t born they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that’s the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal” (Megliofitness 1). Athletes don’t get into the places that they are by doing nothing. Throughout their whole lives, they practice to be the best, and don’t give up. The funny part is that they work harder to get where they are than most people probably work to get to where they are, and yet they still receive ridicule. Athletes deserve the pay they get because of the sheer amount of talent they have, but also because of the amount of money they earn for whoever they play