Overpaid Atheles

            Over the years, professional athletes have gone from playing for the love of game to playing for the love of money. A professional athlete may make millions each year, depending on skill, popularity, and contract negotiations. One begins to wonder why such individuals are so richly compensated for providing entertainment, while other professionals that provide a public service receive inferior monetary wages comparatively. For example, teachers, which provide the foundation for people to strive for whatever career goals desired, receive around thirty thousand dollars annually for their important duties. Additionally, firefighters, policemen, and paramedics put their lives on the line for meager amounts of money. The discrepancy between the amount of money made versus the amount of services provided seems an enormous injustice. This questions what Americans value more in society, hard-working educators, community service providers, whether in health care, emergency services, or other areas, or the naturally gifted athlete who provides entertainment. In asking such a question, one must examine the reasons behind the motivation for paying athletes the salary they receive. .
             Television is a marketing tool that contributes to the amount of the money an athlete receives is media exposure. Television is a powerful tool influencing an athletes career. If an athlete is a media favorite, his exposure can be maximized and his opportunities expand, regardless of skill. The athlete can be watched and critiqued, and admired time and time again, by the world over, through television events. As Michael Butcher, a contributing author for European Magazine illustrated, " television has changed the way we perceive sports, it has also turned it into a goldmine. Through the slow motion, and instant replays and cameras mounted on the cockpit of Formula one cars.".
             Not only does television have an indirect influence on the exact salary of an athlete, but it also plays a direct role in acting as a bargaining source.