Essay on Increasing Salaries in Sports Throughtout the Ages

One must question if the increasing salaries in sports may have caused players to forget the reasons they began playing in the first place. What happened to the days of playing the game because it was your childhood dream to play at Wrigley Field or Yankee Stadium? The times have changed and so has the entire sports industry. The game has changed from being played on the court or field to being played behind closed office doors or out on the golf course, but are the players all to blame? From the view point of the fan, the actions and wages of professional athletes, teams, and their owners can be disgruntling to say the least. It is hard for a sports fan to comprehend why the rewards for players are so great even if the achievement is low†¦show more content†¦Sadly, it seems that these outlandish acts garner more attention than the athletic ability of the person, the excitement of living through the day to day focus and scrutiny being more interesting than the game itself. The amount of money sports team throw at their players make the younger generation believe part of the game is all about money. I have seen strikes and lockouts in just about every major sport, most notably Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Basketball Association (NBA). They all argue over the same basic thing: money. Look back to the days of Michael Jordan, Lou Gehrig, and Walter Payton. These players played the game because of their true love for the game. They did not jump from team to team every year in order to receive higher pay. With coaches and players consistently asking for higher pay and more perks, it makes one question their motive. Is the love of the sport no longer enough? Are they not already making more money than they are worth? This leads to wondering of how you measure a player’s value in cents and dollars. Yes, athletes are paid for their ability to perform but they must also take into account when accepting the high paid positions that they bear a responsibility to their fans to be an upstanding citizen and live/conduct themselves accordingly. The higher paid athletes are able to buy and live an incredibly lavish lifestyle. This makes all things accessible to them which can be a