Lit Review

                 The salary of professional sports athletes is now higher then it has ever been. As salaries become higher it only becomes more talked about and arguably more of a problem. The cause of this is debatable, but solutions to this topic are crucial.  The main argument people have is how athletes are being paid more then occupations that actually are important and beneficial to society; for example, a teacher, fireman, even some doctors. The money could be used millions of other ways that would be helpful to society.  Results of all these arguments can be categorized in the categories of economics and morals.  Is it right for people playing a game they are good at get paid millions of dollars? 
               Some say the consumers have brought this dilemma on themselves. According to Gene Callahan (2007) That’s because in a market economy the price paid for any factor of production (including labor services) arises from the choices consumers make about the items they wish to buy and how much they are willing to pay.  Is it wrong when players demand to be paid more money because they feel it’s what they are truly worth or is it the American fans that have caused professional sports to be as importance and influential as they are in society? Ryan Morrison
(1993), stated they decry the effect money has on professional athletes, claiming that, It corrupts. It distorts. It seduces and they long for the good old days when players were paid amounts commensurate with their talent (which, of course, is now unimaginable). The dependance on professional sports is so high owners can increase prices on tickets and everything so much and know that people will continue to purchase and support their team because how high the demand is.  This is something that has been going on for some time now, it can even go all the way back to professional baseball and Babe Ruth. Without a doubt Babe Ruth was a very impressive athlete, as he became one of the most famous baseball players of all time; His earnings proved it.  In Nick Acocella’s article (2010), he was the first professional baseball player to get $50,000 per year, receiving that amount starting in 1922. Ruth’s salary ballooned from $600 in his first professional season in Baltimore to $10,000 with Boston in 1919 to $80,000 with New York in 1930.  It is common for a persons salary to increase year by year as the cost of living increases and as they gain experience in their area of work, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere when it comes to professional sports.
                     There can also be a strong argument for athletes being paid as well as they do. Since athletes are rare in supply, they command a higher price.  Professional athletes also become icons of the sport, and a lot of people benefit economically by having them.  In an article by Steven Resnick (2009) it explains not only that, athletes are always working by training to get better, traveling, which means being away from their family, and risking serious injury every time they play that could end their career. Athletes must possess the physical and psychological endurance  necessary to offer world-class athletic ability. They willingly sacrifice all personal privacy and the amount of time they put into physical training, it's only fair for them to earn what they properly deserve. Like any other working American, professional athletes deserve every penny they receive. Considering the filthy amount of money spent on merchandise, TV contracts and tickets, the athletes deserve to reap the benefits they work for, stated by Mike Honcho’s publication (2010). Many people may feel athletes are paid insane amounts of money for playing a game, but taking a closer look at what being a pro athlete entails and the benefits it produces, that people don’t realize, make it seem very possible that professional athletes deserve everything they are paid.