I need to rant.
Since becoming aware of issues like food and housing insecurity, and the financial troubles many teachers, researchers, and caregivers face daily, I’ve had trouble comprehending why on earth we, as a society, are complacent in paying some people more money than most will see in their lifetime, just to throw or catch a ball, or to simply entertain us.
The average pay for an NBA athlete is $9.7 million USD, the average MLB salary is $4.9 million, and in the NHL, it’s $2.58 million. Meanwhile, the average salary for a caregiver in Canada is $39,778, for teachers, $48,750. Doctors ing the workforce can expect to make on average $52,000, and if they’re lucky, crack a six-digit wage years into their career.
There are 450 NBA players currently rostered. Let’s apply the average salary of $9.7 million USD to this number, obviously omitting the presence of entry-level contracts—which is still 953k USD—and lucrative contracts like Stephen Curry’s $51.9 million a year. That makes $4.3 billion USD per year going to basketball players.
Not to discredit the work and commitment needed to become a basketball player, and not overlooking the money they generate for their already rich team owners, it’s hard not to imagine how this money could be allocated to ending housing crises, funding cancer research, or providing life-saving surgeries to those who couldn’t otherwise afford it.
If these resources were reallocated, I’d argue that today many social issues could cease to exist. While it wouldn’t immediately solve Canada’s or America’s debt problem, a reallocation of the massive revenue generated by the NBA and other sporting associations would unquestionably help take the pressure off the average citizen, and those who contribute directly to the wellbeing of your friends and family.
While I understand there’s little the students at Queen’s University can do to impact the financial decisions of the NBA, NHL, MLB, or other associations around the world, people can definitely apply pressure on the wealthy figures present throughout entertainment industries (which we, the people, fund) to promote and contribute towards positive change in our communities.
Athletes like Serena Williams, Michael Phelps, Eli Manning, and more, have taken it upon themselves to use their massive amounts of wealth for good. I strongly believe if society normalized this practice and saw the reinvestment of athletes’ profits back into their communities, many social issues would become obsolete, or at least more manageable.
Athlete pay is gross. I understand the massive industry entertainment occupies, and how much money it generates. Still, I will never not believe our social priorities are backwards—that this money would be better spent on medical research, affordable housing, and community service initiatives targeted towards fostering the development of financially challenged families.
Aidan is a third-year history student and The Journal’s Assistant Sports Editor.
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