Decrease athlete's salary's?

[Mass_Liberal]

Do you think that athlete's should make less money? How about way less money, like $100,000 a year, or something?

[Sandpiper]

1. Why?

The money would only go into the owners' pockets instead.

[democracyindanger]

6. Bingo

People complain about pro athletes being overpaid, but they never seem to remember that there's always an owner (or ownership group) that's making a helluva lot more.

[Lucky Luciano]

2. I am sure the owners would love that!

Think about it this way. The salesmen of any industry make the most money (in salary that is - as opposed to stock and dividends). Athletes are the salespeople and the sole reason that tickets and merchandise get bought.

[madmom]

3. how about charging less for tickets? n/t

[Lucky Luciano]

4. Attending sporting events is not an urgent social issue,

so they should charge whatever they can get. Laker tickets always sell out so maybe they don't charge enough!

Baseball stadiums can afford to give away space to poor kids maybe (and they might very well do that for all I know).

[NorCalDem]

5. Athletes aren't the problem,

owners are the problem. When TV, apparel, and tickets/concessions starting becoming a million dollar industry, the athletes rightfully requested their share of the pie, and they are apparently worth it or else no owner would pay for them (even A-Rod's $252M). What needs to happen, is the pie needs to be made smaller so that the average joe, the true fan, can finally attend live sports again. When I lived in Philly still, I hated not being able to ever afford Flyers tickets, or Sixers tickets, or Eagles tickets. Phillies tix are cheap, cause generally they suck, so I could go to those games :)

[jakefrep]

7. Again, why?

They're well paid, but I fail to see how it's worse than Tom Cruise being paid $20M+ per movie. If they're bringing in the money, they deserve a cut.

[Mass_Liberal]

8. lo

my post was a question, not a statement. I was asking how you guys felt about it. Good point, by the way.

[HuckleB]

9. No.

However, I don't think taxpayers should be subsidizing those salaries through stadium and road funding, not to mention through traffic control funding over time. If the business actually makes the money to pay them those salaries, that's find. However, there is no excuse for such a business to warrant taxpayer subsidies.