THE BIG QUESTION: ABSTRACT

*Why do professional athletes make so much money ? Focus on the ethics of fairness and also gender equity.

Background: *The highest paid team in professional baseball is the New York Yankees.
*Tiger Woods is the highest paid athlete ($127,902,706). This includes his endorsement income.
*NFL average salaries by position in 2009 were: Quarterback- $15million, Defensive Tackle- $1.224, Running Back- $5 million
*Female Athletes: Sue Bird, the “poster child” for the WNBA makes at the most $87,000 per
year. in 2004 when Sue and her fellow teammates won the league title, they only received a $10,000 bonus.
*The average WNBA salary for 0-2 years of service in 2012 is $37,260 and for 3+ years it is $54,000. The maximum salary is $95,000.
*Maximum salary for 6 years and under is $9 million or 25% of the total salary cap; 7-9 years- $11 million or 30% of cap; 10+ years - $14 million or 35% cap.

Need: *In today’s culture, it is evident that professional athletes are making a ridiculous amount of money. The only question I have is why. I don’t understand why or how In one year, first year rookie player in the NBA can make more than a top orthopedic surgeon can in 18 years. Another issue is the apparent lack in gender equity among professional sports. These men and women are putting in the same amount of time and effort into each of their selected sports, but they are definitely not receiving the same salary rates.

Purpose: *To open society’s eyes to the faults in today’s culture. We are creating an environment for young kids in which glorifies its athletes to the point where it influences their career paths while growing up. They are aspiring to be professional athletes, not doctors or lawyers. And when and if that dream does not occur in these kids lives when they grow up, they will not know what to do because they never thought about a different career of life path. Professional athletes make entirely too much money, and yet…THEY STILL WANT MORE.

Organization: *I am going to first organize my research paper by giving my reader clear facts of my topic so that before they even get past the first two paragraphs they know that I did my research and I am giving them nothing but the truth. I will then explain my purpose and give them my own personal experience on why I am so passionate about this subject. Then I will explain the effect this is having on society, and then finish it off with the need for a change.