toldailytopic: Do you believe professional athletes are overpaid?

[The Berean]

I was thinking about the 'black Sox', it seems to me that old man Comiskey cheated the pitcher, Red Faber out of his bonus and being such a tightwad, he deserved who he got but not the eight men out.

I think you mean Eddie Cicotte. And the story of Comisky "cheating" him out of a bonus is not supported by the historical facts.

 

[Four O'Clock]

I'm not sure how this system would put more money into the poor and underfed? The reason pro athletes can make huge salaries are because:

1) Cable TV contracts
2) Local TV contracts
3) Ticket sales
4) Sports paraphernalia (jerseys, shirts, hats, mugs posters, video games, etc).
5) Product Endorsements

If you were to artificially limit an athlete's salary all that would do is lower the amount of money that cable TV networks would need to pay for TV contracts, lower the amount of money fans would need to pay for tickets and sports paraphernalia, and lower the amount of money that a company would have to pay an athelte to endorse their product. So if ESPN had to pay $10 million instead of $100 million for NFL broadcast rights that extra $90 million saved wouldn't go to the poor and underfed. See what I'm getting at? :idunno:

In my fantasy delusion, every money-maker; performer, tv, ticket sales, vendors, product endorsements, etc...would be subject to a "shave". I'm not being practical, I'm just dreaming...

 

[Ecumenicist]

I'm not sure how this system would put more money into the poor and underfed? The reason pro athletes can make huge salaries are because:

1) Cable TV contracts
2) Local TV contracts
3) Ticket sales
4) Sports paraphernalia (jerseys, shirts, hats, mugs posters, video games, etc).
5) Product Endorsements

If you were to artificially limit an athlete's salary all that would do is lower the amount of money that cable TV networks would need to pay for TV contracts, lower the amount of money fans would need to pay for tickets and sports paraphernalia, and lower the amount of money that a company would have to pay an athelte to endorse their product. So if ESPN had to pay $10 million instead of $100 million for NFL broadcast rights that extra $90 million saved wouldn't go to the poor and underfed. See what I'm getting at? :idunno:

Higher profits should help everyone according to the Ronald Reagan "trickle down" theory. Of course, trickle down might work somewhat if the increased tax revenues went to helping people, but Reaganomics was against that too.