Today's Athletes Are Getting Paid Too Much

Athlete Salary: Week 3

I want to look at how salaries have changed over the years. From the 1900s to the present, what happened? Who called for the inflation? I was watching a television with some of the family. Of course were watching something to do with sports, go figure. As I was watching, a very interesting program came on, something of a NFL nature, where it featured past and present players. Players from the 40's through 70's meeting there present day counterpart. The interview that got me the most was the one between Otto Graham and Tim Couch of the Cleavland Browns. Otto Graham was Browns quarterback from 1946 to 1955, and Tim Couch at the time was the present quarterback of the orginization. What really made it interesting was to hear them talk about money. Graham said his whole salary was equivalent to one of Couch's quarter pay. This means that what Graham made in a season, Tim makes in one quarter of a game. Graham busted his ass day in and day out, this way he could be held up as one of the best quarterbacks of all time. Couch on the other hand was and is just a mediocre quarterback.

I understand that times are changing but if you were to compare the two, it would be unreasonable. Graham is one of the best players, and he did not need to be paid millions of dollars just to play the game that he loves. No one from those days ever came out and just half fasted it, everyone played every down. There is a well known story about the Green Bay Packers, would be that a players knee popped out of place, and instead of whining about it and taking himself out of the game, he just pooped it back into place and went back out for more. Now-a-days if you get injured you don't even hobble of the field, they bring out the ambulance. If someone is trying to compare a modern day player to this, I would feel great pity for them.

Back to the money portion of the post, true inflation has been present in every decade ever, except for the 1930 (Decade Inflation Chart), but who called for the athletes to get paid millions? Alright if inflation goes up, then so should pay. But where do you draw the line and say enough is enough. If you would cut some of the athletes pay, I would guarntee that we could cut starvion numbers down by more than half. But if you think about it then the players go on strike. As a nation we are torn between exciting sports and supporting the commonwealth, and we are losing badly. It is not like you can say money gaurntees you anything, only great team chemistry can do that.



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"Average Annual Inflation by Decade." InfaltionData 2008 05 06 2008