This post is brought to you by way of a class presentation on October 26th.
The answer to the statement in the post title above is false.
Compared to the rest of society, it appears as though ‘athletes are overpaid’ is a true statement.
However, my opinion is that athletes are not overpaid because sport enthusiasts (fans) help to establish their salaries by paying ticket prices and buying team merchandise.
As entertainers, like actors, actresses, song artists, etc., athletes are typically paid according to their value in the market based upon the ability to perform or their ability to sell to the public. According to the Rader (2009) textbook, legendary baseball player Babe Ruth once held out for a higher salary during the Great Depression. Rumor has it that he asked for more money than what President Herbert Hoover was earning at the time. Ruth’s response was: “What the hell has Hoover got to do with it?” Continuing, “Besides, I had a better year than he did.” (p.143)
Athletes are not overpaid because professional sport is a rare business that attracts such a wide-variety and high volume of customers. Pricing is established based upon demand, and if no customer was willing to pay for tickets or merchandise, then the salaries of athletes would be much lower.
The proceedings before and after the NFL Draft would be a primary example for an argument that athletes are, in fact, overpaid. Some believe that it is absurd to spend millions of dollars on a player who has not proven himself on such a high level. While that may be a valid point, rookies in the NFL should not be held accountable for the guaranteed contract dollars that were collectively bargained between the players and the owners. That just represents how far -- and how much $$ -- strong union leadership by the NFLPA can get you.
If I was that talented, and a business wanted to pay me millions of dollars for my skill set, I would jump at that opportunity in a heartbeat. I highly doubt that anyone would decline such an offer.
Do the readers agree or disagree? Add your thoughts to the comments section.
Good day.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Football on College Campuses
Chapter 6 of the Rader textbook goes in depth about the Rise of Intercollegiate Sports in the late 19th and early 20th century. Rader explains that “college sports helped to foster a new social form, the college community.” He continues in saying that sporting events at universities “forged and strengthened ties between students, faculty, college presidents, and alumni” like no other collegiate activity could (p.84-85).
The game of football, in particular, materialized as a major attraction on several college campuses. With help from the newspaper industry in the late 1800s, college football developed into a must-see event across the country.
At a large majority of college campuses, football is still a grand spectacle. Even when the particular team that you are rooting for is not playing well, thousands of students, alumni, faculty, and other professionals join together at stadiums across the country for each home date.
A recent example of the buzz and excitement that football can produce on a college campus was when BGSU hosted #8 ranked Boise State. By Thursday classes of that week, the nervous energy surrounding the match-up was visible. It was great to see Doyt Perry Stadium hosting a capacity crowd, although the results on the field caused quite a few Bowling Green supporters to head for the exits by halftime.
No matter how a team’s season is playing out, that year can be defined by a strong performance in their rivalry game. A victory against a traditional opponent can raise team and community morale. Universities reap the benefits of this as well because ticket, concession, and merchandise sales at these contests usually produce a significant amount of revenue for the school.
Just in case you have never seen ESPN’s College Gameday, here is a look at what their presence on a campus can produce (YouTube). Just further proof that while other university sports can generate interest, no other sport in a college town can bring the people together like the game of football.
Please add your thoughts and commentary below.
Good day.
The game of football, in particular, materialized as a major attraction on several college campuses. With help from the newspaper industry in the late 1800s, college football developed into a must-see event across the country.
At a large majority of college campuses, football is still a grand spectacle. Even when the particular team that you are rooting for is not playing well, thousands of students, alumni, faculty, and other professionals join together at stadiums across the country for each home date.
A recent example of the buzz and excitement that football can produce on a college campus was when BGSU hosted #8 ranked Boise State. By Thursday classes of that week, the nervous energy surrounding the match-up was visible. It was great to see Doyt Perry Stadium hosting a capacity crowd, although the results on the field caused quite a few Bowling Green supporters to head for the exits by halftime.
No matter how a team’s season is playing out, that year can be defined by a strong performance in their rivalry game. A victory against a traditional opponent can raise team and community morale. Universities reap the benefits of this as well because ticket, concession, and merchandise sales at these contests usually produce a significant amount of revenue for the school.
Just in case you have never seen ESPN’s College Gameday, here is a look at what their presence on a campus can produce (YouTube). Just further proof that while other university sports can generate interest, no other sport in a college town can bring the people together like the game of football.
Please add your thoughts and commentary below.
Good day.
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