Preview

Athlete's Large Salary

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
726 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Athlete's Large Salary
Michaella Daniels
Ms. Olivares
Advanced American Literature
18 Feb. 2008
The Negative Impact of an Athlete’s Large Salary Star athletes have a role in our society that many never asked for or hoped to obtain. They are seen as heroes in the eyes of many and in hopes to shed this image they do crimes most perceive unthinkable. They are the highlight of the American society and can do absolutely no wrong. Despite the offense and level of intensity of the crime the athlete will not be punished based on his crime; ironically, he will gain the lack of punishment from his star status. Whether professional athletes like it or not they are role models and should act as such. The stake for a great athlete is extremely high and is steadily rising.
…show more content…
This privilege is well known by many but talked about by none. Offenses are committed time and again by people from different occupations. From mailmen to educators and even some law enforcers, any and every line of work has the tendency to harbor an offender; the sports world is no different. In 2003, All- Star basketball player Kobe Bryant was accused of sexual assault by an employee of a Vail- area resort where he stayed that summer. Prosecutor’s said Bryant flirted with the woman, a front desk employee, during a tour of the resort. After the ended up in his room, they began to kiss, which she acknowledged was consensual. Investigators have said the encounter turned violent and that she told Bryant “no” at least twice. In the civil suit, the attorneys said at some point during the kissing “Bryant’s voice became deeper and his acts became rougher” as he began to grope the woman. She asked him to stop, but Bryant allegedly blocked her exit, grabbed her and forced her over a chair to rape her. Bryant’s hands were around the woman’s neck, the attorneys said — “a perceived threat of potential strangulation if she resisted his advances” (Nbcsports). In 2004, after much publicity and heartache the case was dismissed by the prosecutors, even after spending at least $ 200, 000 on preparing for the trial (Nbcsports). Bryant was forgiven by both his wife and his fans for his offenses because he harbored that special privilege that comes with the territory. Despite the fact that the female was the victim of the situation death threats against her life were made. Bryant’s beloved fans would rather the woman remain quiet than to get the justice she deserves; they would rather that their basketball god’s good named be saved rather than the truth of his actions be told. Because Bryant has so much money he is thought of as an icon and someone to be looked up and most feel that despite what he does it is

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Most people look up to NFL players like they’re some sort of superhuman beings , but the reality is they are just regular people like everyone else that plays a sport that is just a profession. But that’s not what this is about. This is about how NFL players get away with crimes like they’re untouchable and the Nation Football League does nothing about it, but in the court system if a NFL player gets a domestic violence charge then they have it easier to have little to no punishment, but a regular person in the court system would be punished harshly for a domestic violence charge while serving more time than an NFL player, there is an inequality when it comes to the court system. Even though most people think NFL athletes should just get standard to no punishment for domestic violence, NFL players should get a harsh punishment because they repeat domestic violence offenses, there is an unequality when it comes to the domestic violence charge because NFL players are getting off way too easy.…

    • 1969 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Professional athletes face many issues, especially after their athletic career is over. These issues range from financial instability and degraded health to public scrutiny. However, professional athletes face unique issues concerning criminal conduct. Some athletes receive preferential treatment due to their fame while others may receive extreme scrutiny for actions that other people frequently commit. In order to properly handle the unique issues professional athletes face, every professional sport should have a policy for criminal conduct. Policies would hold athletes accountable for their actions and prevent them from bias punishment or lack of punishment.…

    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When you are on a sports team, you are all equal. Everyone is to set a good example for the fans cheering them on. It is not fair for someone to be found guilty of assault, and still be able to continue to represent a school knowing he used his football skills to hurt…

    • 340 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Why is a professional athlete able to get away with certain crimes that a normal everyday person couldn't get away with? There isn't a good enough answer to that question today. Some judges and law enforcement seem to look passed the wrong doing of a professional athlete because of their social status or importance to the league or association. Obviously this is unjust, athletes can't get away with what whatever they want just because of the status they hold.…

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Athletes Pay

    • 1312 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The notion of paying college football players has been an ongoing debate since the early 1900’s. With current television revenue resulting from NCAA football bowl games and March Madness in basketball, there is now a clamoring for compensating both football and basketball players beyond that of an athletic scholarship.…

    • 1312 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Why Athletes Get Paid?

    • 958 Words
    • 4 Pages

    To help prove this essay’s argument, it is first important to understand how it came to be that athletes have gained their large salaries. Malcom Gladwell, an author and journalist, explained on CNN Money how star baseball players gained the influence to…

    • 958 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    First and foremost, athletes shouldn't get paid so much because of all the homeless children in the world. Athletes are paid millions each year to just play a game or sit on the bench and watch others play. There are numerous children in the world that are homeless and abused. They spend day and night spending time on the streets looking for…

    • 358 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Wages of Sport Athletes

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages

    million dollars for the 96 - 97 season. Last year for the season of 95 - 96,…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Professional athletes are rare, so you have to pay them to stay in the sport and to play hard. However, people will say that professional athletes are selfish because their want of money. But those people are wrong because most of those athletes give money to charities and support other groups. They also have very little time to spend with their families because there always training to become better or traveling the United States to play other teams. Athletes also make what they do is because there are very few people that can throw a baseball 95 mph accurately, hit a ball over 400 feet, or take hits from 250 lb linebackers in the NFL. That is why I choose that it would be unfair to impose salary caps on athletes.…

    • 165 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    There is no greater support system in the United States than a universities athletic department. With records to be broken, championships to be won and legacies to be created, college athletes are given special priorities. No college athlete is given more special treatment than college football players. They are given special buildings and receive thousands of dollars in scholarships and equipment and are treated as celebrities when they walk around campus. At universities across the country, coaches and athletic directors cover up any athlete’s mistakes that could result in their player’s suspension from the team, just to keep their playoff dreams alive. However, these athletes leave hundreds of victims behind, victims who are afraid to speak…

    • 979 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    athletes not overpaid

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In a world with numerous and various types of occupations, it is often difficult to measure the importance of each profession monetarily. Each person, society and organization has a different perspective on the significance of certain occupations but it seems that cross-culturally there is a common belief that professional athletes are extremely overpaid. Professional athletes worldwide are often questioned regarding their controversially large amount of pay. Taking into consideration the amount of workload and pressure most professional athletes deal with, it can be justified that they deserve the amount of money they make, showing that they are not overpaid. Firstly, consumers are willing to pay the athletes large amounts of money and also, they do not use taxpayer’s money. Professional athletes earn an appropriate amount of money in regards to their occupation and this should not come under criticism by the public.…

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    College Athletes Overpaid

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Many issues and controversies are within college athletics and the NCAA; the sports can provide a great learning experience for yourself and give a great opportunity to play it professionally. A major issue within college athletics is the monetization of the sports programs and the athletes affected by it. With this in mind and how the athletes generate all of the money to the school from their performances and the amount of work is put in, it is right to think that the NCAA should pay college athletes.…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There’s a great deal of controversy over the topic of whether professional athletes are overpaid or not, as compared to teachers, police officers, and firefighters. Jennifer Fontaine, a sports promoter, clearly states that she believes professional athletes are not over paid, due to their careers being short lived due to any serious injury, or injuries, that could end that highly paid career.…

    • 612 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lover of the Game

    • 1433 Words
    • 6 Pages

    He has it all: the fame, the fortune, and the fans. Kobe Bryant has anything and everything any living person could want, and as a former NBA champion, he even has arguably more athleticism than most people out there. However, even through his NBA championships and his MVP awards, many people tend to look at Kobe in a very negative way; almost look down on the star for one single occurrence. This may seem harsh, but there is indeed a logical explanation to this seemingly pessimistic attention Kobe always attracts. In 2003, a sexual assault case was filed on Kobe, which would proceed to affect his image forever (“Bryant, Kobe” 4). Therefore, although he is an extremely talented athlete, Kobe Bryant is a negative influence to aspiring basketball players.…

    • 1433 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Athlete compensation

    • 1936 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Cited: Adler, P. A., & Adler, P. (1999). College athletes in high-profile media sports: The consequences of glory. In Inside sports (pp. 162–70), edited by J. Coakley and P. Donnelly. London: Routledge.…

    • 1936 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays