This is an atrocious discrepancy. .
Today's athletes are missing the point of sports, which is to have fun. It's as simple as that. The players are too greedy when it comes to their salaries. Every year, players skip out on mini-camps or practices because they think that they are worth more money than what they are being offered. It doesn't matter if these actions hurt the organization, they are only looking to better their own standing. The fact of the matter is that none of these players actually need this money. When is the last time that a professional athlete that couldn't get by in the world or support his or her family? Never. They could all take substantial pay-cuts and still live better lifestyles than most of the population. But these athletes still insist that need this money. The athletes should look at the 1997 Pittsburg Pirates. They were a group of average players whose total salary was less than Albert Belle's personal salary. Yet, they were in the hunt for a playoff spot midway through the season, while Belle's White Sox were not (Shepherd). .
Almost most all professional sports demand that the teams be limited in salaries by what is called a salary cap. In 1995 professional baseball players went on strike when the league tried to implement mandatory salary caps. The players came out on top, and no limit is set. However, the fact that there is a salary cap does not necessarily change the high wages of the players. For example, in 1998 Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants signed a two year deal worth $11.5 million dollars. That is 5.75 million dollars a year! In 1997, the salary cap for the NBA was $24.4 million, and the average salary was $2.2 million. In Major League Baseball, the average salary was about $1.4 million a year (Turner). .
All of this money that these players are making just leads to more problems. When a person signs a big contract, it immediately brings a new level of scrutiny to the player.
