Why In The World Haven't The Politicians Thought Of This?

Perhaps the politicians have thought of it but selfishly no one would go for it? The idea I am speaking of are the ridiculous budgets coming out of the taxpayers pockets relating to all of the outrageous sports teams salaries and expenses. I have thought for years that if the "STARS" alone in baseball, basketball, and football would just take a cut and stop taking tens of millions per year and say something like, "due to the current state of the economy I have decided not to take my full salary this year 75% will be going back to the state/city of........[[blank]]" Wouldn't that be nice? Just a thought so that those states/cities that are currently considering filing bankruptcy, cutting pensions, essential services, jobs, etc......could actually operate instead of the inappropriate spending and budgets given to these damned forms of entertainment. Entertainment should not be first on our priority list as a country at this particular point. I'm just saying.....Whatever happened to playing the game because you love it instead of for tens or hundreds of millions of dollars.....the fans have been paying your salaries and giving to you guys why don't you give back a little.......???

Professional athletes' careers are much, much shorter than the average. They also run a very serious risk of injury that could shorten their already short careers. And linger into retirement. No way should they be expected to make up a shortfall that, if we were to be honest, is in no way their fault. How about instead we charge wall street banksters their excessive bonuses? I could get behind that.

i'd have to agree. it's just ridiculous, way too much money.

I think all sports figures should get paid for performance, like golfers. if u stink at golf, you won't make money.

u don't do well on the field (baskets, touchdowns etc) then u don't get paid.

these kids right out of college demanding multi million dollar contracts is also nuts

you are a rookie, and will get a rookie salary...when you prove yourself, we'll talk

reply to post by DragonSpirit2


Want to really cut spending and get something back from the people making the real money? Sports figures are a meer drop in the bucket compared to the people that profit from this....


costofwar.com...

You now, when Nelson Mandela took office and saw his paycheck he was stunned to the massive amount he got. So the first thing he did was give two thirds to a charity. People were stunned but do you think that any of the other members of parliament did the same? No!

And sadly in South Africa, the new government is splashing out on Luis Vitton and Guess suits and refuse to drive anything less than a BMW 450i or Mercedes ML, citing that these luxury vehicles are “tools of the trade”.

Heck, our government just splashed out R100 Million on a youth conference which delivered no real results.

And you know what the sad part is? This is in a country where thousands go to bed without food in their stomachs and the only food they have is the sandwiches they get from a non-profit organisations feeding hungry children in schools.

Sport is another story, but if your own government turns its backs on the people they allegedly fought for, then you are correct in asking; “What is this world coming too?

And that unfortunately leads one to the next question; How bad was things on earth before God sent the flood to start off afresh? Judging by the way things are going now I’d say its about time for a rinse….

To the first reply I understand they risk injury and their careers are short however if you have a multi million dollar baseball contract like A-Rod that's 100+ million for 3 years then taking a hit such as only getting say 5 million a year is not unreasonable I would say, I am sorry that they have become accustomed to a certain lifestyle but it just should not work that way and the mere fact that it does goes to show where the priorities in the United States lie. In instant gratification and also go to show you that entertainers make millions while school teachers who we should elevate above many in this society struggle to provide for their families on the meager salaries they are given. If any person is smart they could make 5 million a year last them and their family for the rest of their lives but they fly around in jets, buy houses, condos, cars, eat expensively, pay the salaries of probably 20+ people who really aren't doing jack but sucking up money mostly. Give the numbers to Dave Ramsey and show him their expenses vs. income and he would rip them a new one for living so recklessly 100+ million over 3 years could buy a lot of debt forgiveness in a city or a state and that is just one individual think of the dozens more in different venues that could give back some and start living responsibly instead of like playboys and maybe just maybe that could help some people get back on track.

Why don't they give back? Because they didn't get the government in debt. They hold no meetings as to what money is allocated to what idiocy this week.

If most of us had an extra $20 bucks a week we would never miss, we would choose to do the same. I had no say in where any of the money went, why should I pay more for their squandering? If I piss away my money, big government is not going to pay my credit card bills.

I also wonder how many people would honestly turn down a multi-million dollar contract to "play" if they were offered one? It might be slightly less disgusting then.... just saying.

BTW, from the outside looking in, I agree it is a ridiculous amount of money.

reply to post by Kangaruex4Ewe


Maybe I am just a charitable individual but if I already had millions to my name and was worth millions in my holdings, and I had more millions coming in, I would honestly give it away. If you already have millions which in the plural sense if you live smart and not like a playboy 5 million could last anyone a lifetime. I mean honestly what do you need to survive? 1 house, 2 cars, and spending money for life for food, and all various forms of taxes? 1 house even a really nice one with enough bedrooms and all of your children if you have 4 + kids should not be more than 1/2 a million dollars and 2 cars even if they are really nice large cars that are flashy and large enough to transport you and your family should not cost you more than about $70k each and reasonable expenses for a flashy lifestyle could be put at around 1/2 a million a year, which if you already owned your home and your vehicles out right would amount to more left over after recurring bills monthly than most of us have ever seen? Why should they give back when they didn't cause the mess? Because it's the right thing to do? But no one ever worries about that anymore so why should they the well off worry about the little people who collectively put the money in the owners pockets and therefore into their pockets right???? Just saying.

I do agree that sports stars are extremely overpaid, but why attack them. Why not attack movie stars, reality tv stars, cooperate giants, oil companies. Or better yet why not moderate and control medicare fraud. Do you know how much money is lost to medicare fraud each year?

Estimates suggest that 10 to 40 percent of the healthcare budget may be lost to fraudulent activities each year. In dollar terms, this means that billions are lost annually to criminal actions by fraudulent providers. It is important to note that a distinction exists between Medicaid/Medicare fraud and Medicaid/Medicare abuse. Fraud generally refers to instances where a provider intentionally steals from the healthcare system, while abuse refers to instances where the providers accidentally or unintentionally misuse the insurance systems. These distinctions are recognized in various state laws.

IN OTHER WORDS ABOUT 70 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR!!!!!
That is absurd!


Source
Medicare Fraud

reply to post by DragonSpirit2


Obviously you are more charitable than I. I believe that money can not resolve money problems. Why? Because if you never learn how to manage the money you have/had, then you will continue the behavior that broke you to begin with. It works for the government the same way.

When they keep making frivolous decisions that lead to frivolous spending, why give them more money to continue the cycle of ignorance? China has taught us that. The more money they lend us, the more we keep handing out. That is a problem IMO.

I will reserve my charity for those who are attmepting to help themselves.

reply to post by audioengineer


Yes I know about the money lost to many other types of overspending and other prevalent figures in the "limelight" so to speak. However the reason I sort of singled out sports figures is I guess because sports figures "used to be" people we all looked up to and our children and even we aspired to be "like" in many ways because of their shining examples. Maybe I'm thinking way way back to the golden age of sports to people like Lou Gherig hitting the home runs for the handicapped kid. That was a long time ago but was it such a long time ago that we can't see the ideals that things like that represented any longer? Sports figures and celebrities with more money than they or their families could ever imagine to spend should be the first to step up and give some back to the little guy instead of just going on with their insignificantly popularized lives like nothing is happening and there is nothing they can do. I know what I would do if I were in their position, why won't they?

i think we all agree that professional athletes make ridiculous money. but the suggestion that the government should get involved with regulating salaries and taking the money is laughable.(no offense) that's just the last thing we need.

i do think something needs to be done about the insane contracts coming out of the big 3 leagues. but, lawyers have gone back and forth and settled on a number that the market demanded for an athletes' talents. those numbers are becoming astronomical. i think it's become a cultural thing in america. bigger. better. best. more. now.

remember. these athletes are represented by unions and the unions deal with the respective leagues. something needs to be done. if the leagues crack down the unions can strike. no sports. it's happened. and when leagues are lenient with contract negotiations you get these huge deals.

i don't know, my 2c. i have no clue what to do. outside of the consumer(us) demanding that the leagues do something about it.

i should add that i don't really care in any sort of real way and would never petition a league. i just find it a bit ridiculous and just another sign of the times.

reply to post by Kangaruex4Ewe


I totally agree with you on that front really I do. But it is not so much the money issue that concerns me it's the principal issue of why hasn't someone offered? Even in theory, just as an example of pure charitable goodness done simply to do the right thing and inspire change and possibly the same behavior in others etc....?

i think we all agree that professional athletes make ridiculous money.

reply to post by slowisfast


I don't agree. I have no problem whatsoever with their salaries. CEOs, now that's a different matter. They make ridiculous money, even when their companies fail miserably and hurt the entire economy. Wall street makes too much money. That some guy pushed himself all his life and translated hard work and innate talent into an American dream of success and wealth is inspiring to some of us. I do not begrudge them their money. I enjoy sports and these people, instead of negatively impacting my life and the overall economy, give moments of pleasure and enrich my life albeit in a small way. Why should they not get what they worked for, negotiated in good faith for, and what really amounts to a pittance?

reply to post by joechip


hey i'm not some salary nazi. i played ball in high school and college and know the hard work that goes into it for the first 22 years of ones' life, albeit on an amateur level. i love sports and competition and think they deserve to be paid well. my reasons for league restrictions is more focused on keeping teams from being able to buy a roster.

i'm actually more on your side as opposed to the OP. i was simply expressing a point of view, not necessarily my specific one. plus, i don't have enough information to actually speak with any solid knowledge of the issue....i'm simply a baseball fan.

reply to post by joechip


I mean obviously this is one of the more extreme examples but there are multiple athletes that make grossly overpaid salaries.

As I have used him as an example before I will also make use of him again....Alex Rodriguez's salary broken down yearly is apprx. $33,000,000 per year

This is a list of the top Wall Street CEOs and their salaries for the last year.

Bank of America Corp.
Thomas Montag
2009 Total Compensation: $29,930,431

JPMorgan Chase & Co.
James Dimon
2009 Total Compensation:
$15,518,794

Citigroup Inc.
John Havens
2009 Total Compensation: $11,276,454

Morgan Stanley
Walid Chammah
2009 Total Compensation: $10,021,969

The Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Lloyd Blankfein
2009 Total Compensation: $9,862,657

Wells Fargo
John Stumpf
2009 Total Compensation: $21,340,547


And I would say that the running of a bank is a pretty stressful job let alone the running of a multinational corporation and bank yes I am sure they have perks and it is not as physical or glorious as baseball and you can't televise a CEO running a company so IT DOESN'T BRING PLEASURE TO YOUR LIFE!!!! but it's ridiculous to me that the salary of a BASEBALL PLAYER is comparable to a CEO of a multinational bank and or wall street company that is utterly ridiculous!!!!! Period end of story. Banks may be corrupt but a baseball player should not receive any more per year than what could make them reasonably wealthy and or comfortable not excessively wealthy. Not for hitting a ball on television.....it's not that important.

Also I would say that President of the United States is a pretty important job wouldn't you? And yet A-Rod and like I said dozens of others make figures like $33,000,000 per year. While the president of the country makes $400,000 per year with a $50,000 annual expense account as a perk????? If you don't think that sports players are overpaid do some market research and find the percentage of players who make more than the President of the United States and get back to me. If anyone here thinks that running the country is less important than personal entertainment or smacking a ball around or throwing it, or kicking it, let me just say that's messed up dude!!! LOL

And believe me I am not a salary nazi either really I'm just saying that I wish someone would come forward on principle and say they didn't care about the money and I'd like to give a little back.....because I know I would

reply to post by DragonSpirit2


i understand. but if you look around major league baseball, there's a lot of good dudes that are giving back to their communities. i know growing up there were quite a few ballplayers that were proactively involved with seattle's city issues. jamie moyer, dave valle, dan wilson, griffey jr. they might not have given cash back but they were giving back, and in real ways.

not sure about the other leagues, i don't really follow more than casually.

Athletes only make the money they do because people are willing to go to the games and buy team merchandise. So I don't know how society could ask them to give their money away. Besides, these guys employ many people themselves. Agents, managers, personal assistants, nutritionists, trainers. I saw a show where Lamar Odom paid a guy to buy his candy for him, what a job!