When Kobe Bryant makes a basket he earns what a teacher would in one whole year (Bhagat, paragraph #3). It is ridiculous; we have more important jobs that have value and help people like a teacher but they earn less than someone who does almost nothing for society and plays a simple sport to entertain people. Although playing sports players can entertain people, help people set role models, and encourage people to get or stay active. They don’t play a huge role in other people's life’s or help the community at all. Mihir Bhagat says “Professional Athletes are making too much money in a society where salaries and wages are traditionally based on the value of one's work. In today's society, one should be paid according to the job’s economic importance and their value to society.” (Bhagat, paragraph #2). The way we should pay people is by how important they and their job are, how their job impacts the community, and how much work they put into their job. For example, teachers, firefighters, police officers, and doctors help people everyday but get paid less than someone who plays a sport like basketball for a living. Three reasons why athletes should be paid less are because they aren’t as important as other jobs, they don’t provide anything for others, and they aren’t usually good role models for kids. Athletes are paid way too much; how much money should they really be paid?
The most important jobs are jobs like teaching, doctors, firefighters, police officers, and being in the military. The military fights for our country and teachers teach kids how to read and write (and more); while police officers protect the city or state and firefighters and doctors save lives everyday. Why do they get paid less then someone who entertains people by playing a sport? A jobs pay should be based on how important they are to society, and how much we need them in our society or community. For example do we need teachers or basketball players more? Do we need doctors or baseball players more? Do we need police officers or golfers? The obvious choice would be all the people who help the community and people everyday. Not to mention by paying athletes more they are teaching kids to think that playing sports in more important in school. If kids grow up thinking that they can play a sport to make a living then kids won’t try to excel in school and work hard. Think about it; would you rather get paid more than the president to play a sport? Of course, I believe anyone would. People need to learn how important some jobs are and how we could live without others.
Professional athletes, if you ask almost anyone are selfish; they don’t provide anything for others and usually don’t help out the community at all. They earn an enormous amount of money and don’t donate much or sometimes any of it; instead they use it for their own needs like huge houses, fancy cars, and things they don’t need or could live without. Professional athletes don’t help out at all so why do we pay them huge amounts of money for playing a sport? They entertain us; every time we turn on the television there is either a sports ad on or a game paying almost everyday. The athletes should not be paid the amounts that they do today; it is way too much and we could be paying for other important people who help the community more or things that could help the community more.
Most athletes aren’t good role models for kids; most don’t encourage kids to do anything, if they encourage anything it’s usually bad. For example “If Alex Rodriguez earns the same amount of money as it would take to feed the nation's poor for a year, he can’t cheat and take steroids. What kids learn from successful ballplayers like him is that “It’s okay for me to use illegal substances, because in the long run, it will pay off by earning me an enormous contract” (Bhagat, Mihir; paragraph 10). Kids should not be having role models like him, they should instead be encouraged to work hard and do well in school. If kids just think that they can all be professional athletes they are wrong; kids need to be challenged in school, not just think that they can get by being athletes their whole life. Kids don’t need anymore bad influences on them then they already have with temptations like drugs and alcohol. If we let kids look up to people like Alex Rodriguez, they will want to be like him and eventually not work hard in school or life. We need good role models like doctors and teachers who encourage kids to move up in life and be something when they grow up.

Professional athletes make way too much for what they do; they should be paid less is because they aren’t as important as other jobs, they don’t provide anything for others, and they aren’t usually good role models for kids. We have more important jobs that we need in our life but don’t get paid as much as some jobs that we don’t need. The professional athletes don’t do anything for us or our community besides entertain us, so why do they get paid so much? They don’t set good role models for kids, so why do we let our kids look up to them and watch them when they’re on television? The athletes get paid for playing a simple sport; to me that is just ridiculous. Do you agree or disagree?