The high pay difference between athletes and doctors is still on going. Athletes are being paid more and more from endorsements and other franchises. Stopping this would take the whole of the American people, boycotting won't work do to the amount of people who watch the sport, and support it. Some people would actually boycott, still they won't get enough traction to actually lower the salaries. Sports fans alike wouldn't embrace it and will still go to games because that is where the peoples' interests lie. So until the day comes when the American people concentrate on something else other than sports, we will continue to see the drastic difference in salaries between doctors and athletes.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Athletes vs. Doctor's Pay

Athletes are the sports stars we all dream to be whether it's in Baseball, Football, or any other professional sport; paid millions of dollars a year to entertain the public. Doctors are medical professionals that save lives, file patient information, and prescribe medication to those who are sick, in pain, or have other problems; most make under $500,000. Since the early days of Baseball athletes have started making more and more, players in the 1910's made $80 a game.  The wage difference is staggering and shows where our interests lie as American citizens. Rather than boosting men and women who save countless lives, we instead dump millions upon millions into the salaries of athletes such as Tiger Woods, Lebron James, and Peyton Manning. However, those athletes don't even make the most, Tiger Woods the highest earner out of the three is only third out of the top 50. Who may you ask is the highest paid? It is someone most people would guess or even know of. It is Floyd Mayweather Jr. who made a staggering $85,000,000 in a single year from boxing matches. To say this in other words,  most people in the United States never make even close $85,000,000 in their lifetimes, let alone in single year. Now what do athletes do with all this money? Most have charities they have started and or donated to over the years to help causes from scholarships to helping children in Africa get a better education. On the other hand, we all have heard the stories of athletes going out and buying quarter of a million dollar cars or watches made out of gold. Vince Young a NFL Rose Bowl MVP has done some not so wise things with his money "...spending $5,000 per week at the Cheesecake Factory and purchasing 120 of 130 seats on a commercial airline flight in 2007."

 Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1012/pro-athletes-and-their-bad-money-habits.aspx#ixzz2Le8uTmSC

How can we fix this problem of excessive payment and spending? One solution maybe to lower the taxes and fees athletes must pay to play in order to lower their wages. If they don't have to pay so much in fees and taxes then, they don't require as much money to pay for them, and therefore need less money to live on. Another option is that doctors who prove that they are qualified as extraordinary  doctors can be paid additional money that will help them further their careers. But, doctors have taxes and other expenses that must be paid for out of their pockets. Anesthesiologists for example must pay for liability insurance that protects them if something goes wrong in an operation. Plans could be available to physicians that could lessen their payments on these insurances. If these plans go into actions we could possibly see a major decrease in athletes' pay so that everyone gets paid fairly for the amount they contribute to society.

About the Author:
Peter is a student who enjoys trying new foods and traveling.

Citations:

"Merkel, Steven. "Pro Athletes and Thier Bad Money Habits." Investopedia.com. Disqus, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013."http://onswipe.investopedia.com/investopedia/#!/entry/pro-athletes-and-their-bad-money-habits,51055979d7fc7b567007748b/2

"McKnight, Michael. "The 50 Highest-earning American Athletes." SI.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013."http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/specials/fortunate50-2012/

"Haque, Syed K. "Physician Salaries." Physician Salaries. Blogger, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013."
http://www.physician-salary.org/
Anderson, William L. "In Praise of Athletes' High Salaries." : The Freeman : Foundation for Economic Education. Disqus, Aug. 2000. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.http://www.fee.org/the_freeman/detail/in-praise-of-athletes-high-salaries#axzz2Khh3WVdv 
Landes, Lukes. "Foundations of the Rich and Athletic: What 10 Athletes Do With Their $30,000,000 Annual Income." Consumerism Commentary RSS. Consumerism Commentary, 5 June 2008. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.http://www.consumerismcommentary.com/foundations-of-the-rich-and-athletic-what-10-athletes-do-with-their-30000000-annual-income/


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