With the Super Bowl less than two weeks away and many football fans still reeling from the officiating error that may have cost the New Orleans Saints a chance at winning the Conference Championship, our minds are on the game.
Football is much more than a game; it is an industry, an industry whose top 10 players earned over $400 million in 2018 from salaries, bonuses, and endorsements. This number is not outrageously high when compared to the estimated $61 billion combined net worth of the NFL’s ten wealthiest team owners. If I, along with nine other people, started jobs earning $150,000 annually, paid no taxes, had no expenses, and saved every penny we earned, we would have a combined $75 million, $325 million short of what the top ten players made in 2018. The NFL’s elite players have surpassed a livable wage and continue to see increases in their salaries.
These are upsetting numbers. No one needs this much money. I, and most people, could live comfortably on $150,000 a year. In fact, many families do, and many families live on far less. This is what upsets many Americans. We live in a country where, according to the 2017 estimates of the U.S. Census Bureau, 39.7 million Americans live below the poverty line. In 2016, a family of four, including two children, would be considered under the poverty line if their annual income was less than $24,339. Not $240,000. Not $2 billion. $24,339.
Football can be entertaining. We enjoy the competitiveness, intensity, and tradition of the game. What is not entertaining is the massive wage gaps between the top players and the practice squads. Some elite players are given guaranteed contracts in the millions. In 2018, the minimum weekly salary for athletes on practice squads was $7,600. Assuming the athlete is kept on for the entirety of the regular season, they will earn approximately $129,000. This is not at all a bad pay check. It is, however, a reflection of the hierarchy in the professional entertainment industry.
Why do many of us decry Republican legislation lowering taxes for wealthy individuals and at the same time become so engrossed in a game where the elite players and owners are payed far above reasonable salaries? Why do we not decry the multiple cases of domestic abuse allegations against multiple players that have stayed dormant for years? Even when we finally unearth the dark past of cover-ups and decry new cases, why do we continue to watch the NFL? They continue to make the same mistakes in the mishandling of allegations against players.
In his book “On Being Rich and Poor,” French philosopher and lay theologian Jacques Ellul writes, “The very existence of the poor is a revelation of a deeper evil. It reveals a lack of faith, obedience, and love. It calls for a reorientation of society in general, and a decision not to permit money to dominate it in particular.”
Society has permitted money to dominate in government, industry, and professional sports. Money will not hold the NFL responsible for these actions. Increasing the salaries of the elite will not aid in lowering poverty rates in the United States.
I am not suggesting we cannot enjoy football; that would be unrealistic. I am suggesting that we must reevaluate professional sports, the NFL in particular.
We must not give players a pass when they face allegations of misconduct simply because they are good at the game. We must stop putting up with their insatiable appetites for multi-million dollar contracts. Do not support players who show immaturity on and off the field. The NFL has surrendered itself to the corruption of money and erroneous refereeing.
