Are footballer's salaries ludicrous?

I'm a big football fan and everything and try to stick up for football as much as possible, I've always said it is correct for footballers to earn the amount they are earning but now I've changed my mind. In reply to a post on the first page 'a career in football would not be appealing to youngsters if the pay wasn't like this (300k per week), I actually think if footballers were paid about 50k per week, it would still be appealing to youngsters because they will still be earning over 2.5million by the end of the year.

Why have you changed your mind? You've just stated here a reason that you think is irrelevant - did you believe that to be true before and was that enough to sway you?

I think footballers are entitled to whatever they can get. They work in a luxury business so aren't holding anyone to ransom (e.g. utilities suppliers, transport operators, banks, landlords etc), nor are they forcibly taking money from people (tax). Thus every penny they get is from someone's spare cash they were willing to throw at the football industry. Perhaps you can take issue with the disparity within football, but any money that goes to football as a whole is done with no arm twisting of the paying public at all.

Reason why I changed my mind is because I've grown up a bit and got a little understanding of the economy. And it's not about holding anyone to ransom and its not about forcibly taking money, that's not the point...My point is, why do footballers get paid so much just for playing 90 minutes of football a week (obviously they play more if they're in other competitions), some footballers don't even play those games and are still on millions just for keeping the bench nice and warm.

I also don't think it's fair that so many people are doing so many things to make this world a better place e.g. doctors saving lives countless of times, working 12 hour shifts a day (sometimes they even work at nights) and yet they do not get paid anywhere near what footballers get paid.

Reason why I changed my mind is because I've grown up a bit and got a little understanding of the economy. And it's not about holding anyone to ransom and its not about forcibly taking money, that's not the point...My point is, why do footballers get paid so much just for playing 90 minutes of football a week (obviously they play more if they're in other competitions), some footballers don't even play those games and are still on millions just for keeping the bench nice and warm.

I also don't think it's fair that so many people are doing so many things to make this world a better place e.g. doctors saving lives countless of times, working 12 hour shifts a day (sometimes they even work at nights) and yet they do not get paid anywhere near what footballers get paid.

Footballers work 6 days a week, sometimes even 7 days. Their career last 20 years tops. They can be sold to other clubs on a whim. They don't get Christmas off and barely get a holiday in the year.
You can't compare their job to other jobs because it is not the same.
They work in a multi billion pound industry and are paid accordingly for their part in that industry. It has nothing to do with Doctors or any other profession

Then you are arguing we should be taxed more to pay for doctors' salaries? Footballers' salaries are representative of the spare cash we have after taxes and bills. If you feel we have too much and should be spending more on the country then that's a fair enough argument, but I don't see why you'd want to single out footballers. Should the fashion industry be so lucrative? How about the music industry? Hollywood? None of those compares to the life-saving actions of a doctor, but it is a sign of how much spare money we all have that we can throw so much money at those industries.

Music industry is completely different, they earn their money by selling their music...footballers don't sell footballs to make their money, most of them just sit on a bench and get paid millions...if society is to be fairer then doctors should be paid a lot more.

'They get barley a holiday', they have most of the summer off don't they? And you won't see them coming to work at 9 and going home at 5, they come to train a few hours a day...And I know that footballers wage has nothing to do with any other profession, but I just don't think it's fair for them to get more than doctors when without doctors in this world most people would die early...However, without footballers we just lose out on a bit of entertainment. I don't even think it's an argument, footballers get paid too much

'They get barley a holiday', they have most of the summer off don't they? And you won't see them coming to work at 9 and going home at 5, they come to train a few hours a day...And I know that footballers wage has nothing to do with any other profession, but I just don't think it's fair for them to get more than doctors when without doctors in this world most people would die early...However, without footballers we just lose out on a bit of entertainment. I don't even think it's an argument, footballers get paid too much

Music industry is completely different, they earn their money by selling their music...footballers don't sell footballs to make their money, most of them just sit on a bench and get paid millions...if society is to be fairer then doctors should be paid a lot more.

You've missed my point, or I've missed yours. Are you arguing that doctors should earn more than footballers because their work is more important, or are you just focusing on benchwarmers, saying they shouldn't be paid anything?

Ultimately though, would you support a tax hike to pay doctors better and reduce the amount of spare money we have to spend on footballers?

See you point suggests doctors don't get paid enough not footballers get paid to much. Judging by your comments you don't know much about their working lifes, they train considerably more than a few hours.
Without footballers we lose a bit of entertainment? It's a multi billion pound industry that pumps more money into worldwide economies than we can't even imagine. If a club makes £200 million in a year why shouldn't their biggest assets get a fair share of that money?

I wouldn't necessarily say doctors should earn more than footballers because obviously with the wages being paid out to footballers at the moment, the change is going to be too big, what I'm saying is that doctors should be paid far more than they are currently being paid. And yes I would support a tax hike on the richest (including footballers) because it wouldn't make sense to increase tax on the low earners.

A lot of GPs work 4 or 4.5 days a week and get quite a lot of annual leave too. Footballers have a lot of other training than just physical such as tactics and self-development too. Just being able to run and kick a football isnt enough.

Just goes to show that people value entertainment over health? We live in a capitalist world where demand and supply sets the prices. Anyway plenty of things save lives and keep us alive - drugs that the doctors prescribe, water that the water companies provide and clean, supermarkets which bring food to us etc etc - perhaps you should start shelling out more money to everyone?



That would be suppliers who manufacture footballs.. Footballers provide a service to the clubs who in turn make a lot of money by selling sports as an entertainment (along with the tv companies and advertisers etc). Err more footballers play than sit on a bench - only a select few get away with that but they still provide their service to a club which decides not to utilise them that often.

I know you're trolling but least use a bit of sense. The fact remains that plenty of people are willing to pay £30 a month for sky sports and pay £30-100 for a ticket to see a football game. There's so much money going into the game.

I wouldn't necessarily say doctors should earn more than footballers because obviously with the wages being paid out to footballers at the moment, the change is going to be too big, what I'm saying is that doctors should be paid far more than they are currently being paid. And yes I would support a tax hike on the richest (including footballers) because it wouldn't make sense to increase tax on the low earners.

I appreciate that but I still don't think they warrant so much money!!

I actually think most of the players in a football teams squad don't play much e.g. man city, and they get paid millions. And how could you say I'm trolling when I'm just answering the question and defending my answers to the question of the OP 'Do you think the salaries that footballers earn are ridiculous or deserved?'

Hi!

Sorry if a similar thread has been posted before, admittedly I haven't checked. Before I ask my question, I just want to say that I'm not hating on football or trying to be disrespectful to fans and players!



I saw a website yesterday stating how much Gareth Bale will earn at Real Madrid and how much he's earnt since he signed for them, without having played a game yet.

I can't help but feel that with the country's economy in such a diabolical situation, how can we warrant paying people such astronomical amounts of money to run around on a field for 90 minutes, once a week? (Yes, I know they have to train hard, are invaded by the media, donate to charity and work with sponsors etc, but really?!)

Again, I'm not trying to bash football and I know footballers' wages wouldn't solve the economical and financial crisis we're in but when there's so much poverty, problems and failings in the world, why pay such huge fees and wages to footballers?

All opinions greatly appreciated and received!

Gx