We all know being a professional athlete is one of the highest paying jobs on the market. Athletes all around the world strive to make it to the professional league. Why? Well, part of it is because of their passion and love for the game. We wouldn’t be telling the truth, however, if we said it wasn’t at least partially because of the salary. It’s a great reason to want to make it to the big league. They say money can’t buy happiness, and they’re probably right. But there’s no doubt it can contribute to happiness. So I ask myself the burning question: Do professional athletes get paid too much? I’m not giving the “do they get paid enough” option because there’s no question. They make enough to make a solid living.

First off, it depends on what sport the athlete participates in. Of the four major sports, the National Basketball Association (NBA) pays their athletes significantly more than any of the other three. The list then goes with Major League Baseball (MLB) at second, followed by the National Football League (NFL) and then the National Hockey League (NHL). I understand why NBA players get paid more, given there’s usually only 15-20 players on an average NBA team. There’s more money to be thrown around per person. When you look at the NFL, there are 53 players on the active roster at the start of the season. Forty-six of these players can play on game day, while the others are listed as inactive and don’t suit up for games. That’s a lot of players to pay, so I can see why they don’t get paid as much.

Obviously, it depends on how good you are and your level of play. Elite players such as LeBron James, who signed a 4-year, $154 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, probably deserve to make that much. Here’s where the issue appears. Allen Crabbe, currently a shooting guard for the Brooklyn Nets, signed a 4-year, $75 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers a little over two years ago. Crabbe was a second-round pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and has averaged a measly 9.5 points per game throughout his career. To make matters worse, he started only seven games the season after he signed the contract. Why would you pay a player almost $19 million per year to not even start? Where am I going with this? Check this out. Antonio Brown, a six-time Pro Bowler and four-time First Team All-Pro wide receiver, signed a 4-year, $68 million contract after the 2016 season. Arguably the best receiver in the NFL, he’s getting paid less than a backup NBA player. The NBA either needs to pay Crabbe less or Brown needs to be paid more because the contributions Brown makes for his team compared to Crabbe’s contributions isn’t even comparable. Despite this, Crabbe is getting paid more in salary. I say salary because when you put endorsements into the picture, Brown may have the upper hand. 

Given what I just said, NBA players should be paid a little less. The amount of money NBA players make is ridiculous. You don’t have to even be a starter and you’ll still likely make over $10 million a year. The amount of money they make in endorsements only contributes to why they shouldn’t get paid as much. If it’s not them getting paid less, NFL players should be getting paid more. They endure a more challenging season than arguably any sport. The sacrifices they make to their bodies in comparison to NBA players aren’t the same. While they only play 16 games a season (unless they make the playoffs), you are much more likely to get seriously injured in a football game than in basketball. The only position in the NFL that can even compare to an NBA contract is quarterback. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers signed a 4-year, $134 million deal in August 2018. Keep in mind he’s now the highest paid player in NFL history. That’s not a typo. He’s the highest paid player in NFL history. So that’s the maximum annual amount an NFL player makes. Don’t get me wrong; that’s a lot of money. However, you’re also making that much in the NBA by being a consistent 20-point scorer (which sounds hard, but if you hog the ball it’s quite possible, which a lot of players do).

MLB players get paid a significant amount. They do play 162 games a season, but baseball doesn’t take the same toll on your body like the other three sports, with exceptions to pitchers. They also tend to sign long-term deals for loads of money, so there’s a commitment aspect to it as well. In that sense, I can see why they would get paid this much.

As far as the NHL goes, they could afford to pay their players more. There are lots of brutal checks and hits in hockey that can seriously injure a player. The NHL needs to account for this by slightly increasing the players’ salaries. Alexander Ovechkin, an elite hockey player coming off a Stanley Cup victory, is one of the highest paid players in the NHL. In 2008, he signed a 13-year, $124 million contract extension with the Washington Capitals. That averages out to $9.5 million a year, but when you consider how much more average players make in other sports, it’s kind of a joke. Given Ovechkin’s once in a generation talent, he should be getting more.

It really depends what sport you play and how good you are at it to determine how much you make. Personally, I think NHL and NFL players should be paid more and NBA players should be paid less. This would even out the payments among various sports to an extent, and it would also give credit where it’s due. MLB players get paid enough for what they go through. It’s not an issue, I guess, so I can’t see this being changed. This is just how I look at the situation personally.