Once again the topic of high professional sport salaries is heating up. Recently David Stern announced that the NBA could lose 400 Million dollars this year (
see article). Are we reaching a point where players are making too much money? If the NBA ends up reducing player salaries, what type of trickle-down effect will we see into college and high school sport funding? Any? What about other professional sport leagues? Please share your thoughts.
First off the I view the NBA as being a long term position for most players, they can play longer because of the lack of contact, without taking into consideration joint injuries. So they can make a fair amount of money during there career that they wont feel the impact as much as if other sports had to make cuts. The effect felt with other sport funding will be felt and I can forsee less games played or more expesive fees to the players. Another thought would be more involvment by boster clubs to help raise money that they can afford it.
ReplyDeleteI believe we reached a point of players making too much money long ago. I dont' think athletes, no matter how talented they are, should be making the kind of money they make every year. With over half the teams "losing tons of money", there needs to be something done with player salaries. The trickle down effect we may see is reduced funding for sports in college and high school sports. With the economy the way it is, sports funding might take a blow through all levels.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it seems these players make way too much money. I don't think lowering the salaries of the top tier of players would affect them too much. I believe we are starting to see this in other sports like the NFL is thinking of putting a rookie salary cap on. The NBA already has this and really makes a difference in the amount of money spent on players. I am not sure hoe much this would change the high school and collegiate levels of the sport because these do not pay their players. But overall, I do agree it is something that can be implemented.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that players do make to much money and that having salary cuts would not be the end of the world for these players. With the economy the way it is these cuts need to be made and the players need to see that. The other levels of sport such as the collegiate and high school levels are also affected. You can already see funding being lowered and programs being cut. I think the salary cap that mark mentioned would be a very good idea because it would limit these outrageous contracts that these rookie players are being offered.
ReplyDeleteI think players have been making too much money for quite a while now. There is no reason the top players need to be making over 20 million a year. Cutting back on players salaries would be a good thing and should be considered in all professional sports. Even with the cut backs they would still be making a ton of money. I don't realy know how this would affect high school or college sports, other than with less income players may donate less to school sports programs?
ReplyDeleteI think we can all agree that NBA players make way too much money!! Even with the salary cap! Although that did help. Like Ben said...cuts have already been made at various high schools and colleges due to the economy so unless that gets better we will probably be seeing a lot more of them. By paying prof. players less, I don't really know what will happen with high school or college athletics...I guess the worst that could happen would be less motivation to play the sport in which case leads to less people watching it...but that would be worst case scenerio...
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that professional athletes make more money than they deserve. No one can do what they can, so why not get paid like it. If everyone could perform at the level that they can then the price you pay for talent would decrease. The majority of the people we are around each and every day can work in an office job or work at a resturant, but rarely do we even meet a person who are as talented as professional athletes, therefore they deserve the money they recieve. I think salaries will start to change, with less money being gauranteed and also rookie salary cap rules will become more prevelant. Salaries are a huge part of sports and whether or not they decrease or increase people will still follow sporting events.
ReplyDeleteI feel that players salaries have been way too high for years. However they say teams are loosing money fine but then why are the teams/ franchises values consistantly going up? Owners are still managing to make money but I do think players need to consider the economy and take cuts like other people in various occupations have had to. I mean they don't need to cut them in half but maybe lower the maximum salaries down by 20 percent or put a cap on what a player can make per year. If players need more money put incentive clauses in contracts or they will need to find endorsement deals. Many ways to solve this issue and some are fairly reasonable changes.
ReplyDeleteWhether or not athletes are getting paid too much isn't really a concern to me. The factors that drove the salary levels to where they are are multiple and varying in responsibility; the athletes, their agents, the teams, and the market. What I'm concerned with is how this is going to work out. In the past, when the current CBA was agreed upon, the market could handle paying athletes as much as it is. Now, with a faltering economy and waning trust in the financial stability of the country, the system cannot afford to pay as much as they are, hence the losses. I firmly believe that top level athletes need their pay scales decreased, since that is one of the major components of the losses, and the most reasonable one to alter. As a trickle down effect, some high level collegiate athletes may choose to go to other countries to play. However, for most of them, while it would be tempting to try to make more money in an outside market, the draw to play at an elite level in their home country would outweigh any concerns over a couple of million dollars in a system that they've never experienced before. I don't see how decreasing the maximum contract from $18 million per year to $11 million per year is going to cause collegiate athletes to suddenly decide that the NBA isn't the future for them. I also agree with Kevin's statement that NBA careers are longer than some other sports, giving the athletes time to earn the money they need to support themselves, so, to me, making more money in a shorter amount of time is an invalid argument.
ReplyDeleteI believe that NBA players make too much money. When you are getting a player that is making over $20 million dollars a season which is more money than 8 of his teammates combined there is something wrong. Yes these athletes are very talented but to pay them that much money is not right. Greed comes into play when you see players getting paid the way they are. For example, do you really need $14 million dollars to feed your family for one year? These players need to take a pay cut because of how much money teams are losing. Even if you make $13 million dollars a season, that is still a lot of money.
ReplyDeleteI like this article. I think it is a great idea. Cutting back on the salaries will save the league, the teams, and the owners a lot of money. It needs to happen. These guys make a butt load of money. But when it comes to the topic of will it affect the NCAA or high school, i really don't think it will. There still is a lot of money out there and it will still bring players in. If anything it will start to bring people to watch these levels more if anything, especially if there is another lockout in the NBA. College basketball is already huge, and it will most likely get more popular, especially during March Madness time.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a good idea that they are making budget cuts to NBA players salaries to help with their financial position. If they are losing millions of dollars then why not do some changes. Going from $20 million dollars to $13 million dollars is not going to be the end for some of the higher profile players and they should see where are economy really is. Being paid that much to be a professional sports athlete is getting to be a bit excessive. I dont think that college and high school funding will change because of this, they are funded differently and i dont think it will make an impact, they are on two totally diffent levels. Other sport leagues most likely will see changes in the future, if it reached one league already.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what alot of people have said, I dont think it would hurt some of these top level players to take a pay cut. For example dropping from $20 million to $13 million in one year. Thats still way more than what many people will make in thier lifetime working year round. I dont think it will effect NCAA or high schools, if anything, it could potentially benefit the NCAA and help them draw an even bigger crowd if the NBA were to have a lock-out.
ReplyDeleteI think top athletes deserve to make good money, they risk a lot stepping into the public eye and sacrificing their bodies day in and day out. I do however feel that some athletes make way too much money. Funding for high school and college sports is getting cut do to the economy. I do not think that the pay of professional athletes will effect funding much.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the article. Professional salaries do need to decrease. However the term professional should also mean something. If someone earns a professional level status than they should get paid at that level. That then raises the question of how much is too much? The aritlce has some great ideas of how to bring player salaries down without hurting their overall business. I do belive though, that salaries of professional athletes and actors are two of the most outrageous salaries across the board. What about the people who educate the kids? Teachers get paid the lowest wages. It just doesn't make sense to me.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a good idea to put a cap on the NBA salaries as well as all professional sports. I do not think that putting a salary cap on the NBA would have an effect on college or high school sports. Athletes who love the game and love to play still will and funding for these sports at the high school level I do not think are related to what professionals make. I think overall salary caps would make a positive impact.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it can get pretty ridiculous when one player on a team can make more than the rest of their starting line up. I think a cap on the most you could give to one player per year could help the sport and make teams more equal. We all do love to watch the LeBron James' and Kobe Bryants but I think lowering their salaries 10% will not affect them in much of a way and it should save a ton of money.
ReplyDeletei also agree with what kevin says about how NBA athletes have a long career within the sport. They have the opportunity to play longer and make more money. Cutting them a few million dollars a season really is not going to make or break thier bank accounts. I still believe they are way overpaid and that the NBA needs a salary cap
ReplyDeleteIf we dont start putting stricter caps on players salaries, I believe they will begin to spiral even more out of control. Most "professionals" at any other job dont make even close to the amount that NBA players make. As Kendra said, it might not have any effect on college or high school sports, its hard to say. Only time will tell I guess.
ReplyDeleteAfter looking at several posts, I still don't see how players can justify their current salaries. Ya they are people with rare skill sets however if they keep up the salariy increases or keep them this high while teams and leagues struggle its not going to work. They have special skills but if the leagues fold or no longer exist then those skills aren't very useful for them if they can't find a job to utilize their skills. They need to sacrifice like everyone else and as economy gets better well then the salaries can increase.
ReplyDeleteCameron stated that "As a trickle down effect, some high level collegiate athletes may choose to go to other countries to play". I think this is a good point because with the salary cuts maybe there will players that are opting to go over seas to be paid more than the NBA can afford.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most peoples comments that a salary cap could help, but I disagree that these athletes are greedy. They have a gift and work very hard to perfect their skills and to perform at a high level with great risk on their bodies. If you're the best at what you do you deserve the top salary. These athletes also give back more than we know when it comes to charities and other funding opportunities.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jared's post. The trickle down effect is causing all sports to take a second look at their finances. Also the rising cost's of player saleries are going no where but up which is a big reason why so many NBA teams are struggling.
ReplyDeleteEric Mareck
I think that it is pretty clear that a majority of the students feel that salary caps and pay cuts would be a good idea. Like Dan said, do you really need 14 million dollars to feed your family for one year. I think that these players would clearly still be very well off even with a small pay cut that could help benefit the league. I noticed that a pretty common statement is that going from 20 million to $13 million would not be the end of the world and I would have to agree with that.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mark, I dont see how lowering the pay of some of the top NBA players is going to hurt much. It would help out the team and the NBA overall by saving money. Does it really make a difference to NBA star if your making 20 million a year or 10. Either way your making more money in a year than most people do in their lifetime.
ReplyDeleteIt is easy to just think they make too much money for what they do. As I think deeper than just the money and a althlete i think more about the extras that come with stardom. The press and the nation knowing about more than what the athlete does on the field. The NBA althetes can make more than other sport athletes do sicne it is a less impact/ injury sport. I just can not fathem what i would do with amount of money they earn. I got ideas but I would end up haveing more money than I would know what to do with.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what sam says about athletes getting what they deserve, but I like how some mlb teams have paid athletes a set salary and having incentives with how they perform over the course of the season, like playing a certain amount of games, averaging certain amount of points etc. Just like any other job it should be based on performance.
ReplyDeleteI definately do not agree with Sam...yes, professional athletes are professional for a reason (they are better than most at sports), but so are doctors and surgeons at what they do, but they aren't getting paid as much as athletes...I think pro athletes should be paid a lot, but def. not no 20 mil. a year!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with dawnielle that other sport leagues most likely will see changes in the future, if it reached one league already. Usually what happens in one sport rolls over to the next. Trends in sport happen usually pretty quick!
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot of points that people have made including: I don't think lowering the salaries of the top tier of players would affect them too much, I firmly believe that top level athletes need their pay scales decreased, since that is one of the major components of the losses, and the most reasonable one to alter, and lastly Kara's comment that its insane how much professional athletes and actors/actresses are making. These are all good arguments and I do think that these professions could take a pay cut.
ReplyDeleteI believe we are reaching a point where players are making too much money to play a professional sport. I believe that every professional sports league needs a salary cap. Once one league most likely MLB takes some steps to reduce player salaries the rest should follow. I do not believe finances in professional sport will translate into college or high school sport.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that they get paid because they are rare dosn't make sense to me. Every day you meet someone with unique or special skills. It could be someone who can perform heart surgury or someone who knows this all of the aspects of the stock market so the fact that just that they have special skills that no one else has dosn't hold much water to me. I do agree with them getting paid very highly because of the amount of revenue they draw but not just because they have special skills.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kara, it just doesn't make sense to me either. There are professions out there that contribute to society more than NBA players do. They do not demand more and more money. They choose to be professional athletes they can deal with the salary caps. I don't think it is much to ask considering all of the perks NBA players receive. There should be a cap and no player's salary can go beyond that...period. If they do not want play because of a lower salary then don't play. There are hundereds of players waiting to jump on board and deal with a lower salary.
ReplyDeleteMost people say that the players are making too much money. Even if they were to take a pay cut, they are still going to be making a lot of money. I agree with what tyler said that if the NBA were to go on another lock out that it probabley wouldnt hurt the NCAA but it may increase ticket sales and ratings.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Dan said. You really dont need 14 million a year to feed your family. It would be pretty hard to even spend that much money, and they are making that on a yearly bases. I really don't think it would hurt the players too much to take a pay cut.
ReplyDeletelooking at some of the replies here on the blog, I would have to agree with Dan. It does come down to there being a lot of greed. It doesn't take $14 million dollars to feed your family a year. They can afford to take these pay cuts. By doing this, they will help their league stay alive and around longer in our life time.
ReplyDeleteLike most I agree, players can take a pay cut. Why shouldn't they, the business they represent is losing $400 million this year??? It's no wonder, anyone see the dunk contest this year? Terrible...I don't know any other profession in which you can continue to demand a raise while the product you sell is tanking...except for the Union automakers in Flint, Michigan. Ask them how that worked out...Bottom line I think the players need to see themselves as much more a part of the league rather than a 1-man business. Afterall it wouldn't be real smart to bankrupt the hand that writes all those $20 mil. checks now would it? I don't doubt Stern's comment that a deal will be done, only because of how much more money players,owners,and the NBA stand to lose if they don't. As far as having an effect on funding for high school and collegiate athletics, I guess I just don't really see why that would happen in relation to the NBA. I think we are in a time in which funding is being cut in many places in reaction to the economy.
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