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In what context are premiership footballers "overpaid"?

carrotdog

No doubt a lot of them work hard and are very skilled. But the amount of unproffesionality, immature and slanderous behaviour I consistently see on display makes me think that these people should not be put on a pedastal. Say what you like about Eric Cantona's violent antics on the field, but at least he has a brain, unlike the vast majority of professional footballers today. That said, you don't have to be "clever" to be pleasant and a fair player. Paying these players millions gives them the impression that they are untouchable and a vastly inflated sense of self importance.

Are film stars, pop singers necessarily clever?

Or are film stars and singers paid so handsomely since few in the world share their abilities? Isn't this the same as footballers?

What about Usain Bolt? Is it unfair he is paid a large amount (or at least receives a lot from sponsorship and other sources of revenue for him)? How many people in the world can run as fast as he can?

And immature behaviour is not exclusive to footballers. IMO, Amy Winehouse's conduct is immature. David Letterman's behaviour (well alledged at this point) is immature. A lot of famous people, in whatever field, commit mistakes or do silly things. It's because they are human beings, and are prone to error.

Reply 41

smalltownboy

14

I think one of the main issues is the fact that their salaries are in essence unnecessary and working class fans (who are the majority of supporters for most clubs) are being squeezed out of the game price-wise. A tiny cut in the top players wages could easily subsidise tickets to a more affordable level for the majority of fans.

Reply 42

quidibit

bah

however many people a job entertains or however many lives it saves or however much money it generates etc should have nothing to do with how much the user is paid, because these factors have nothing to do with the user. The same goes to how innately predisposed to being good at something you are, how much your parents forced you into something at an early age etc etc because again, nothing to do with the user

if you're going to value something then you should look to things that everyone can agree should be valued e.g.

-how mundane the job is to the user
-how much time the job takes to do
-how much effort is put into the job by the user
-how difficult the job is to the user
-general living costs in area of work

why are premiership footballers overpaid? because loads of other people in the world put in just as much effort in their job/are just as bored doing their job/spend the same amount of time doing their job etc and are paid less

Reply 43

Fusion

20

Because fans support their team ''through and through''.

Reply 44

rajandkwameali

2

quidibit

bah

however many people a job entertains or however many lives it saves or however much money it generates etc should have nothing to do with how much the user is paid, because these factors have nothing to do with the user. The same goes to how innately predisposed to being good at something you are, how much your parents forced you into something at an early age etc etc because again, nothing to do with the user

if you're going to value something then you should look to things that everyone can agree should be valued e.g.

-how mundane the job is to the user
-how much time the job takes to do
-how much effort is put into the job by the user
-how difficult the job is to the user
-general living costs in area of work

why are premiership footballers overpaid? because loads of other people in the world put in just as much effort in their job/are just as bored doing their job/spend the same amount of time doing their job etc and are paid less

poor criteria. most if not all are subjective.

Reply 45

cambo211

19

completely off the point
but this was the point of discussion in the group discussion in my interview at toys r us yesterday
:biggrin:

Reply 46

Mr. Orange

17

osiris6607

Tennis is not the greatest comparison to football since tennis players outside the top 30 rankings earn similar amounts than those in the championship.

Less people watch tennis.

There are on average 40 players in one team, tennis there is one, sometimes two.

Reply 47

Mr. Orange

17

osiris6607

Tennis is not the greatest comparison to football since tennis players outside the top 30 rankings earn similar amounts than those in the championship.

Less people watch tennis.

There are on average 40 players in one Premier League team, in tennis there is one, sometimes two.

It's like a pyramid, the wider the bass (signifying number of players) the higher the top wages will get. Less players, less wages.

Reply 48

yoyo462001

16

smalltownboy

I think one of the main issues is the fact that their salaries are in essence unnecessary and working class fans (who are the majority of supporters for most clubs) are being squeezed out of the game price-wise. A tiny cut in the top players wages could easily subsidise tickets to a more affordable level for the majority of fans.

If dont understand why people say that, if you dont want to pay then DONT its not like anyone is forcing them. Does every fan have a God given right to watch their team? its like saying the food at this restaurant is too expensive im sure if they marked the price down a bit more people would be able to come in and eat.. its supply and demand people are obviously willing to pay those prices.

Reply 49

V1NY

1

In what way do they justify their wages? Just by training and kicking a ball once a week for 90 minutes doesn't justify the stupid wages. Sure, you gotta earn a living, but this much? On the bright side, they provide much needed tax revenue for the treasury

Reply 50

Advanced Subsidiary

18

Mate, I'm in desperate need for food. Haven't eaten since morning. No food in the house, parents have no money I have no money. =[

Wish I was a footballer.

Reply 51

humz2

15

Yes, there are millions in the huge gross profits. More of it should go to tax, or [and I do not know how] the government should give an incentive for the clubs to produce thousands of useless jobs. We won't need a Chancellor of the Exchequer then :awesome:

Well, multi-millions for a punishing training regime aka footballer's hobby or 80K for a GP who deals with a truly endless amount of ****, day in and day out for decades on end :woo:

Before anyone retaliates, I am aware that being a footballer doesn't only entail a punishing training regime :plz2:

Same to other sports.

Reply 52

Banburyhammer

1

Looking at it from an impassionate viewpoint, premiership footballers earn vast sums of money, because they are at the pinnacle of their field. Same in Formula One (Unless theres a pay driver this season), same in Tennis, Buisiness etc. What riles people is just how disproportionately high salaries are the very top end are. 200 grand a week is quite frankly, stupid money. People will resent whoever earns ridiculously large sums, in sport and in buisiness, especially when you compare it with the pay for some other jobs.
Taking this next comparison to the extreme - I will illustate why people see these people are overpaid. John Terry - England Captain. Lewis Hamilton - F1 World Champion. Neither runs the country. Both earn so much more than the PM of the UK. Comparing the jobs they do, to the pay each gets, its beyond comparable, even though one is a part of the Public Sector.

Reply 53

jacketpotato

20

Its not so much the fact of the money itself, its the fact that the money thrown at footballers doesn't serve a socially useful function. Footballers themselves are great because they provide entertainment. But if the salaries of top premiership footballers were halved, their performance wouldn't differ one jolt. The extra money they get as a result of the market doesn't provide them with any incentive to play harder. If the top salary was £50,000 a week rather than £100,000 per week; footballers would still try their dardnest to do at the job: the extra money doesn't actually do anything. Whereas if you increased nurses salaries or hired more nurses, there would be a obvious social benefit.

In an ideal world, footballers would face marginal tax rates of 80% upwards at the top level of earnings, along with other professions where the amounts earnt are relatively undeserved and don't serve a useful social function; though whether a government can micromanage the tax rates of different professions in practice is questionable.

Reply 54

Bishamon

yoyo462001

If dont understand why people say that, if you dont want to pay then DONT its not like anyone is forcing them. Does every fan have a God given right to watch their team? its like saying the food at this restaurant is too expensive im sure if they marked the price down a bit more people would be able to come in and eat.. its supply and demand people are obviously willing to pay those prices.

T.H.A.N.K.Y.O.U.

I enjoy these threads, they provide much needed entertainment for one and provide a great insight into the naivety (or plain stupidity for some) of many people. First of all capitalism has never rewarded salries depending on their "value to society" or "difficulty", footballers of premiership caliber are in high demand. Problem is only a tiny, tiny minority if the current crop of talent can perform at the same level as the like of Adebayor or Rooney hence these individuals are paid excessive amounts for their services.

Secondly football is a private enterprise, hence management pays them what they see fit. Its a practice which has happened since the dawn of modern industry, yet footballers seem to be the only ones who get blasted. CEOs get paid millions, some would say for merely being competent and having good interpersonal skills, yet they dont receive the same criticism footballers do. Football itself is funded by a combination of ticket sales, merchandise, and television deals. Basically the salaries of these super rich players is being bankrolled by the fans, if these people are really unhappy then a backlash would of happened long ago, yet revenue and viewership of the EPL continues to increase.

Thirdly, players in championship and lower leagues get paid nowhere near as much as the 400 or so premier league players so its not as if the high payment is across English football. I would also say to the clown who complains about the NHS in need of funding, football is one of the big big tax pillars in this country. The EPL makes the government a huge amount in tax revenue. The criticism of these athletes is as daft as those who complain about this countries super rich/elite, many of whom provide economic vibrancy to a country short on ergonomic revenue streams.

Reply 55

Dorito

15

Looking at football as a business and the huge sums of money involved, then yes they are getting what they should be.

I think the problem people have with it is that they only kick a ball round whilst they work a mundane 9-5 job and struggle to put food on the table...

Maybe people see football as an 'easy' option and so they haven't really earnt it.

Reply 56

AAAirz

11

Because ticket, food and parking prices are ******* ridiculous. No players, or executives, need that much money.

Reply 57

quidibit

rajandkwameali

poor criteria. most if not all are subjective.

yea they are, but you could say that about anything that attempts to be moral

Reply 58

Of the Standard of Taste

12

Cut prices of tickets. And make club t-shirts cheaper?

Its like £50 for a top that costs like 3quid to make in China or India.

Reply 59

username345307

14

Football is a business though. It can't be compared to the NHS - if a club started paying their players less they'd only have rubbish players because good players want the most money they can get, presumably. So it would be a rubbish club, and no-one would support it… People would rather spent money on a ticket to see a match than donate to a hospital, that's the bottom line. What about highly paid actors and singers? Surely they can get by on £30k a year and give the rest away.

What people earn is not necessarily determined by how much they contribute to society (it is to a degree, refuse collectors get paid less than secretaries) it's about demand too, like a job that you need a degree for will be more highly paid. It's also about how much money is available to pay these employees - if you work for a company that's doing massively well, workers may get a raise. There is less money available for doctors, so they get paid less. Millions of people buy footie tickets and shirts etc. so they get paid more.

It would only work if every club in the world put a cap on the max. amount they are willing to pay for the top footballers. If just UK agreed to this, it wouldn't work, as they would just play for someone abroad. It would never work though, as they would get paid with other perks to entice them in, like lush changing rooms and Rolex watches...

In what context are premiership footballers "overpaid"?

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