How Important Is Athlete Productivity in Today's Society? Whether they have little or none, their contracts and endorsements tend to say otherwise. For example, David Beckham, a retired Los Angeles Galaxy football player, received a career total of forty-eight million dollars, while a GS-13 level astronaut earns approximately one hundred thousand dollars per year (APAO, 1). Some say that athletes earn their money just like us, but it's not that obvious. Another example is how Kobe Bryant makes twenty-three million dollars this year. However, according to his agent, “his abilities on the field and his talent justify his earnings”. If that were the goal of all jobs, doctors and lawyers would make millions while athletes would be pushed to the back burner by society. This problem is so horrible that the worst-off athletes still earn hundreds of thousands of dollars more than most doctoral graduates receive (APAO, 1). The same goes for injured players. If an athlete is injured, they can't play, but they still get their money, because once the contract is signed, what's done is done. In today's market, athletes haven't always been paid more than CEOs. In the early stages of the American football system, when it was not corrupt, almost all players had to have a normal day job in addition to playing, because they played for fun and not for money. In today's economy, athletes and their salaries are way too important considering they are only used for entertainment purposes, and they deserve to be cut. Surgeons, lawyers, and writers prove to be essential in people's daily lives and must undergo rigorous education and training. often pay large sums for their education, and still end up making much less money than middle of paper......, Chris. "Two sides to every coin: Are professional athletes overpaid?" Report on money launderers. Np, March 4, 2012. Web. April 22, 2014. .Ogg, John. “When athletes become more overpaid than CEOs.” Yahoo Finance. Np, December 5, 2013. Web. April 22, 2014. .Patel, Tulsi. “Professional athletes are way overpaid.” Daily Herald. Np, April 27, 2013. Web. April 21, 2014. .Salaam, Khalid. “Are professional athletes overpaid or fairly compensated?.” MadameNoire RSS. Np, June 29, 2010. Web. April 22. 2014. .