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Debate Info

12
17
fair unfair
Debate Score:29
Arguments:21
Total Votes:32
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 fair (10)
 
 unfair (11)

Debate Creator

Axmeister(4322) pic



is it fair that famous sportsmen get paid more than emergency services

David Beckham earns $50million a year

the UK fireman gets paid a starting salary is £20,896 rising to £27,851 once competent in role (about two years)

I don't know about you but I think running into burning buildings is a bit more dangerous than kicking a ball.

fair

Side Score: 12
VS.

unfair

Side Score: 17

From a economic viewpoint, athletes are paid quite nicely because of three reasons:

1. Supply and Demand of the Labor Market

For example, Alex Rodriguez earns ~$25 million dollars a year. In 2009, Alex hit 100 RBI, 30 Home Runs, 127 Hits, .286 Batting Average, and .586 Slugging while missing the first month of April and leading the Yankees to the World Series. Now, the supply who can produce this is very limited, it is basically only Alex. However, the demand is skyrocketing. Every team wants Alex, but since the supply is very low, he will demand a high salary. Thus, the Yankees are the only team that can afford his talent.

2. Mass Consumerism

Sports is a very consolidated. Meaning that of all the teams, they may be 10,000 employees in each sport. However, they are bringing in billions of dollars of revenue in mass consumerism from tickets, merchandise and whatever else. The only way their salaries will go down if people stop watching sports.

3. Consolidated Private Monopoly (NO Real Competition)

The NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL have no real competitors except themselves. The NFL and the MLB compete but not directly because they are complement goods rather than substitute goods. There is no other football league that directly competes with the NFL. So, the NFL has a complete monopoly and they can manipulate the market and how they see fit, and charge whatever prices because more than likely, sports entertainment probably an inelastic good. Even amidst the recession, some 24 teams raised their ticket prices while the other 8 made no changes. Consumers are not real sensitive to price changes. People are willing to pay heavy money to see a sporting event.

Supporting Evidence: A Rod Stats (mlb.mlb.com)
Side: fair

You can complain all you want, but the only way to lower his salary is by not watching or going to soccer games. As long as soccer is the most popular sport, I don't see it changing. And, since he is not employed by the city that he works in, he could get paid 500 million every year for all I care.

Side: fair

That is correct. Life is not fair in general. It is called free market capitalism.

Side: fair
1 point

Pure numbers, there are more people that can excel at emergency services than can perform at the major league level in any sport. The numbers alone drive that price.

Side: fair
1 point

I go to work everyday and I am worth 'X' amount. Like it or not LeBron James causes MILLIONS of people to stop what they're doing for 3 hours everytime he plays basketball to watch him and they love it. Entertainment has net worth. Rent a clown for you kid's 9th birthday party and that clown will get paid 'X' amount for his work. If anyone in here can consistantly supply millions of people with entertainment (and they are willing to pay for it!!!) then for logical reasons you ARE worth a lot more than an emergency service person because he is way more replacable than a LeBron James. If you have 10,000 people in line who can equally provide the service you are providing than you are worth less than the person who only has 5 people in line behind them who can provide the service he or she is providing. It's simple math, supply and demand, net worth, whatever. It makes sense!

Side: fair
2 points

It is probably unfair. Unfortunately, neither do we control private money, nor can we find some extra money for firemen.

In general, life is fairly unfair.

Side: Unfair
1 point

This is merely another example of how unfair the world is. It's funny that people in Australia look up to overpaid sportspeople for their ability to kick a piece of inflated rubber in a net, while our firefighters (most of whom are volunteers and don't get paid AT ALL) are fighting crazy bushfires in temperatures of up to 45.C.

Sometimes I don't understand the world at all.

Side: Unfair
brycer2012(1002) Disputed
1 point

Why don't you offer more tax money to fund the service, then talk to me.

Side: fair
laurjohn(97) Disputed
1 point

I don't think the amount of tax money is the problem, it's where the governments spend it. Maybe fire fighters should be hired by private agencies.

Side: Unfair
1 point

I guess its what the media makes popular.

if everyone thought football was just a game and people saving lives was entertaining then things might have been different

Side: Unfair
1 point

Capitalists look upto people who can kick a ball extremely well

Socialists look upto people who run into burning buildings and save lives.

Choose which one you like better.

Side: Unfair
MegaDittos(571) Disputed
1 point

There are many more people who can and will be great at emergency services than at sports therefore the price will be cheaper for the emergency service. There is no choice involve in the free market. People in short supply will be paid more. Victim mentality will cry foul but that really all it is based on.

Side: fair
Kinda(1649) Disputed
2 points

Thanks for that extremely relevant lesson in free markets.

Doesn't affect my post however. Or the general question.

Side: Unfair

sports stars get paid way too much and any emergency service personal should get paid more but unfurled our governments our too poor

Side: Unfair
3 points

true, true... I agree with you one hundred percent.

Sportspeople are overpaid. I don't accept the argument that fewer people can play sport. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I am sure that getting burnt by a blaze of fire, watching people cry in anguish for their lost homes and relatives, trying to navigate through traffic to save someone who could die any minute, and getting shot at while trying to arrest a dangerous murderer is much harder work than placing a piece of rubber into a net using your feet.

Side: Unfair
Euroscope1(90) Disputed
1 point

It is not about whether you can play sports or not. It is not about whether it is more important to save a person's life than play a game of soccer. It is a matter of the fact that we live in a supply and demand world whether you like it or not. When I was 10 years old I shoveled my neighbor's sidewalk when it snowed and he paid me $5. Then he spent $5 later that night to see a 2 hour movie. Now if I can shovel 10 million sidewalks should i not be worth a lot more than $5? Anybody in this website is a consumer of entertainment!! If a pro soccer player provides 3 hours of entertainment for 10 million people is his net worth not worth more than the person who just got paid $200 to take 5 people scuba diving? Really it's a simple question of math and supply and demand. Your fire fighter IS doing a more important job but the fact is that he has 10,000 people behind him willing to perform the same task at the same salary (supply and demand). As for the pro athlete, people are entertained by 'The Best' athletes in the world. That's just the way it is. And entertainment is a product and everyone has bought it! Just think about it the next time you go to work; perform an hour long task for your boss and get paid for an hour, then ask yourself how much you should get paid if you just performed that task for 10 million bosses at the same time

Side: fair
1 point

Emergency services save lives, footballers don't they play foot ball on a pitch that people have payed lots of money to go to but a fireman puts out fires, a police man gets rid of all the bad people and doctors save lives

Side: unfair