Why Are Athletes Overpaid

Nowadays athletes are everything: looked upon as role models but seen as bad influences, praised for being the best and ridiculed for getting to much money. No matter where an athlete goes they will receive both praise and criticism. Professional athletes are hard working people and great for people in society, but they are extremely overpaid. The outrageous numbers in an average professional athlete's salary is at least triple the size of a doctor, teacher, or solider, who has a greater role in today's world then an athlete does. The pay increases yearly, but there has been a significant jump over the past twenty years.
People argue that athletes are not overpaid; they work extremely hard every day, work ridiculous days and hours, never get
to see their families because of the constant travel. But so do doctors, soldiers, teachers, and lawyers. Each and every day a soldier defending his home nation, puts his life on the line, risking to not ever again see his family, to protect the citizens of his country. A doctor saves thousands of lives a year, puts their own life at risk with catching potential diseases, viruses, etc. Doctors also work extremely odd hours and days in a week; they do not get holidays and weekends like normal people. And teachers, well they deal with the next generation of this world, and go in early and stay late, and put up with constant harassment and frustration for the well being of the kids. Teachers receive the worst pay out of all the three combined!
An average Chicago Cubs baseball player will make over six million dollars a year.
An average Chicago Blackhawks player makes two point seven million dollars a year. An average Chicago Bulls player will make around five million dollars per year. The highest paid doctors make around five to six hundred thousand dollars a year. Doctors save thousands of lives a year and spend lots of time and money to get into the best schools so they can help save the world. An average lawyer with eleven plus years of experience makes around one hundred and seventy thousand dollars a year. These lawyers have majority of the say in whether an innocent person gets put in jail or a guilty person gets set free. These people help shape and organize our society and without them this world would be more of a mess then it already is. Although different sports do pay differently, in reality all professional athletes are paid way more than the most important people in the
world.
In sports there is only one large request; stay healthy and available to play.
But the problem with that is no one can avoid sickness or injury. An athlete is paid the "big bucks", called that solely due to their salaries, even if one does not play. In 2013, Derek Jeter, arguably the greatest shortstop ever in Major League Baseball (MLB), only played in four games that season. Mr Jeter went on to make his annual thirteen million dollars he was guaranteed. Samir Nasri, a British Premier League (BPL) soccer player had his worst year of his life, contributing to barely any goals or assists that season. He made his one hundred and thirty eight thousand a week regardless. Only in sports will you find that one does not have to "work" to still receive their money. For example, if a doctor or lawyer did not work, or was not working to their best potential, he/she would be fired or asked to take a leave of absence; majority of the time being unpaid. It is not fair for athletes to get paid great large sums of regardless whether they perform or even
play.
In today's day and age, if you ask a child who he/she looks up to, you will most likely hear their favorite athlete. Professional athletes are looked upon as role models and almost "super humans" But in reality, athletes are not normally the best role models. Majority big name players enter into the league when they are still maturing. The great, large sums of money they come accustom to receiving, changes and influences their normal behavior. Over the past decade, there has been tons of professional athletes linked to gun charges, D.W.I's, sex scandals, fights, etc, etc. The fact of the matter is that athletes get spoiled by the money they receive and forget reality.
But athletes work extremely hard and sacrifice their time for their fans and their team? Yes, athletes do risk their time and body for the pleasure of others. Yes, athletes work harder than a average "9-5 worker" Yes, athletes do not get to see their families because of constant travel and practice. But soldiers go across sea's so that athletes, and fans, and coaches, and citizens can live free and be happy; they do not get to see their families and they risk their bodies day in and day out. Doctors work harder than the typical "9-5 worker" also, and they save lots of people each year as well. Teachers get up early and go to bed late so that they can make an impact on the soon to be next generation. Why do these hard working employees not get paid millions? They are accomplishing more important and crucial things than athletes right?
Athletes are extremely overpaid and should have their salaries reduced over one hundred percent. The extra money from the athletes salaries should go to people or funds that help out the world and society. Veterans who cannot get employed, global warming causes, cancer, etc, etc. Athletes do not do enough for this country, or any country they play in, to receive the extreme amounts of money they do.