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Asked simply as is, I'd have to say the answer is no, professional athletes are not overpaid. They get paid what the market will bear. If attendance at sporting events were to decrease, or advertising dollars were to dry up, they'd start getting paid less. But, professional sports are a form of entertainment. And, especially in America, we pay our entertainers dearly. Now, if the question were worded a little differently, I might answer yes. I understand the sentiment of "the overpaid athlete" in relation to other things. If the question were worded comparatively, such as, "Are professional athletes overpaid relative to more worthy professions?" or in some manner like that, my answer might be different.

Yes, there are much more noble professions that are terribly underpaid. Teachers and social workers come to mind. I am in the social services field myself. Believe me, you don't do what I do for the money. On the other hand, it's something I enjoy and I've gotten pretty good at the work I do. I'm really not in a position to complain. Do I wish I got paid more for the work i do? Of course I do. But, car manufacturers, deodorant companies and breweries aren't going to pay top dollar to put me on television and have others watch me link persons with disabilities to services. It just doesn't make for good entertainment. What I find enjoyable, the overwhelming majority of consumers would, undoubtedly, find painfully boring.

The bottom line is always going to drive the market-no matter what the field. As long as the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers feels that paying Kobe Bryant whatever ungodly amount of money will actually bring in that much (or more) into the Lakers' coffers, he'll pay Bryant that sum. It's simple economics. The market drives the cost of doing business. In almost any business, the highest individual cost to an owner is wages or salary. A business owner has to decide how much to pay an employee, based on what the employee brings to the table. Kobe Bryant brings big advertising and big attendance dollars to the table. If the owner of the Lakers feels Bryant costs too much, he is free to let him explore the open market. In Bryant's case, he could almost certainly command what he wants for salary in a different market. Hence, the Lakers pay him what they do.

I think the people who complain the most about professional athletes' salaries are people who don't especially find sports entertaining. "Why pay someone big money to watch them run in circles or hit or kick balls around?" might be the common question. And, I suppose, to them, this does seem silly. On the other hand, if these same non-sports-loving people aren't attending games and nothing is coming out of their pockets, what do they have to complain about? I look at it this way. I, myself, am not a huge fan of the movies. I mean, I'll go occasionally, but as a whole, most Hollywood movies are all the same. In my mind, actors are terribly overpaid. But, in the industry, they are getting paid what the market will bear.

In the end, I guess it's just a matter of simple semantics. Compared to other professions, an argument could easily be made that professional athletes are overpaid. But, as a stand-alone question: Are professional athletes overpaid? To me, the answer is simple. No, they aren't overpaid, they're paid what the market will bear.

Learn more about this author, Paul Schingle.
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