Poll: Are Sports Pointless?

[theonecookie]

Yeah sports as a whole are pointless but so is the the weatherman and art critics and they still make money so if people are making money off them I'd say the deserve a cut Its not like their con-men like wine tasters or again the weatherman

 

[Radeonx]

Got to say that pro athletes are paid way to much for what they do. They are a form of entertainment and don't really add that much to society. Add actors in the mix while your at it. The grand scheme of things, making a movie can be taxing on the person, but come on. A athlete makes bank for throwing a piece of pig around a stadium, makes me sick.

Any entertainment is largely "pointless".

But regarding pay...no way should college athletes be paid. And professional athletes shouldn't be paid nearly as much, except the problem there is that the less the athletes get, the more the owners get, so either way someone's getting stupidly rich.

Ideally, athletes would get less, owners would get less, and everything would COST less for the fans. If athletes didn't need to get paid millions of dollars, tickets wouldn't have to cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

This is just one more example of how the free market can be a shitty system.

Got to say that pro athletes are paid way to much for what they do. They are a form of entertainment and don't really add that much to society. Add actors in the mix while your at it. The grand scheme of things, making a movie can be taxing on the person, but come on. A athlete makes bank for throwing a piece of pig around a stadium, makes me sick.

Except for the fact that pro athletes don't determine the market at all.
You know who does? TV agencies, owners, and agents. In the beginning of sports, players were lucky to make over $10,000 in a year. Now, they make millions. The only people who's fault this is are the fans who constantly pay ridiculous amounts to experience sporting events, and the execs who abuse this.

And on top of that, pro athletes don't have time for a regular job. Are they paid too much? Prolly, but they should equal standard-ish salary anyways. Picture all the time you've put into your career. All the hours spent coding, all the days spent accounting, and all the time spent doing anything else is put into learning the sport, being as physically fit as you need to be (For which a lot of things, is REALLY FUCKING FIT), and getting better.

 

[shurikenshado4]

Sports is essential for human life. its fun, good for exercise and i think you should get outside right now. also, chess aint a sport.

 

[LITE992]

Sports are not pointless, as they teach important values and they actually contribute economically to the county/city/country they're in. There's probably a reason for the rediculous amounts of money they get paid (even NASCAR drivers get paid millions for turning left for hours).

 

[everythingbeeps]

And on top of that, pro athletes don't have time for a regular job. Are they paid too much? Prolly, but they should equal standard-ish salary anyways. Picture all the time you've put into your career. All the hours spent coding, all the days spent accounting, and all the time spent doing anything else is put into learning the sport, being as physically fit as you need to be (For which a lot of things, is REALLY FUCKING FIT), and getting better.

Except that athletes don't have more hours in the day than us normal folk. So to suggest that they work that much harder than most other people is ludicrous.

 

[babinro]

I view sports like any other hobby. It has it's place in this world and promotes healthy active living.

I do not agree with people being paid to play sports. At least any more than I'd believe paying a group to play Magic, D&D, video games etc.

 

[Radeonx]

And on top of that, pro athletes don't have time for a regular job. Are they paid too much? Prolly, but they should equal standard-ish salary anyways. Picture all the time you've put into your career. All the hours spent coding, all the days spent accounting, and all the time spent doing anything else is put into learning the sport, being as physically fit as you need to be (For which a lot of things, is REALLY FUCKING FIT), and getting better.

Except that athletes don't have more hours in the day than us normal folk. So to suggest that they work that much harder than most other people is ludicrous.

If I came across that way, I'm sorry, I was just saying that people don't give them enough credit.
Do they work harder than a lot of people? Probably not, during the offseason they don't do much other than stay fit and be millionaires. But during the seasons, they work MUCH harder than standard people, so I'd say that it sort of evens out to being on-level with the typical working man.

 

[ShindoL Shill]

How else are we to determine which nation/state/district is the fittest of all?

bloodsport arena deathmatches of course!

OT: they provide entertainment in the form of some person smashing another person into the ground. if you watch rugby.

 

[everythingbeeps]

But during the seasons, they work MUCH harder than standard people,

Nope, they don't.

They physically push themselves harder than standard people. Big fucking deal. But tell an athlete to do some accounting or create a web page from scratch or study up on research or any number of other things that "standard" people do, and all they'll be able to do is scratch their heads. Fuck, tell an athlete to wash dishes for 10 hours a day or sweep up shit all night. Tell an athlete to fucking build houses all day, or mow lawns or dig holes or fill in holes.

They work differently, not harder. Not harder by a long shot.

 

[health-bar]

upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that on other days, on other fields, will bear the fruits of victory

sports as a whole are not pointless.


However...

paying millions of dollars for professional athletes is excessive. But remember, that money comes from fans.
it only exists because someone is willing to pay that much for entertainment

 

[Vuavu]

A athlete makes bank for throwing a piece of pig around a stadium, makes me sick.

what's your occupation? I'm sure I can also describe it in an incredibly stupid way to make it sound like it's a waste of time, but I'm guessing you won't be convinced

He's a shark wrangler, duh! haha

Just noticed you both have nautical themed names too. LET'S ALL GET ALONG

 

[drisky]

Its capitalism, the player get what the owners are willing to pay. The owners are willing to pay more when the fans are paying more for tickets and jerseys on top of any ad dollars. The NBA is locked out because the players are asking for more than the owners can afford, hence they get nothing until someone agrees. You can't really complain when athletes make tons of money, the money comes from the fans, as long as fans are paying the prices dictated that money will go to the players. When fans say they have had enough, players will make less.

 

[klaynexas3]

if they are paid to play the sport, that's one thing, but if they get a scholarship for being good at a sport to go to college, then that's just not fair. kids that are smart and would excel in college and do great things with their lives end up working hard for their scholarships or don't even get one, but because someone can run faster than someone else, they automatically get to go to college? even if their grades might be bad, they still get to go because they have some talent that won't benefit society besides a form of mindless entertainment. now if it's only the scholarship that they're being paid in, okay, that's more understandable. if they get a free ride and make a shit ton of money after getting said free ride simply for being able to throw a ball, then i'd be pissed

actually its stopping what you call a "free ride", by giving these sports people a proper degree (which they do EARN) they can go on to be productive members of society after their 3 years in the sport of their choosing (lets face it careers are short) more educated people is only GOOD for the economy.

the moment that they are allowed to go to college while kids who are definitely more promising to excel don't because they lack the money it automatically is no longer fair or even really good for society as a whole. even if the sports person fails out of college, all that means is that a scholarship that could have been used on someone smart who had a higher certainty to not fail is wasted. school is about learning, so they should be supporting the people who are seen to be better learners. who do you think deserves to go to college more, the athlete or the A student? now if they can afford to give one to both, then go ahead, but when it's a choice between the two, who deserves an education more? the one shown to actually want one, or the one who can throw a ball?

true enough
BUT

ECONOMICS

See the footballer (or whatever) will bring with him cash (because people will want to watch that) it uses him as an asset and as we are still a capitalist society that validates his admittance there. If they weren't creating huge amounts of money for the institutions then people who were more intelligent as you put it would have to foot the bill.

That ways not looking much better now is it?
Its not fair perhaps, but as far as unfair things go its not all that bad.

i know why they do it, i'm just stating that it's not a good thing. this is partially a problem of the schools needing to make the money themselves to stay open. in desperation, they lose sight of why they're there and sell out for the money. they deny the people that have a better chance of actually applying the education they get to become a productive member of society in exchange for the one to make them a quick buck. all i'm saying is that it's not fair. will that stop them? hell no.

 

[the Dept of Science]

I view sports like any other hobby. It has it's place in this world and promotes healthy active living.

I do not agree with people being paid to play sports. At least any more than I'd believe paying a group to play Magic, D&D, video games etc.

Except people don't watch people play Magic or D&D. When people do get watched doing something along those lines (eg. Star Craft in Korea), then they get paid. They are required to have a skill in the hobby that far outdoes anyone doing it at a hobby level. If we only had amateur musicians or artists, we would only have at best mediocre music and art to experience.

 

[BreakfastMan]

Are Sports Pointless? Yes, about as pointless as video-games, movies, or anything else that does not produce a tangible/physical benefit to the species.

Should colleges pay their athletes? Yes, they should. The colleges are making money off of them. Why should a college athlete not get paid from the money his or her effort is helping earn?

 

[Radeonx]

But during the seasons, they work MUCH harder than standard people,

Nope, they don't.

They physically push themselves harder than standard people. Big fucking deal. But tell an athlete to do some accounting or create a web page from scratch or study up on research or any number of other things that "standard" people do, and all they'll be able to do is scratch their heads. Fuck, tell an athlete to wash dishes for 10 hours a day or sweep up shit all night. Tell an athlete to fucking build houses all day, or mow lawns or dig holes or fill in holes.

They work differently, not harder. Not harder by a long shot.

That's a fair point.
But it isn't as if the accountants or web designers can get pads and play pro football every weekend, so they don't work any harder.

 

[chaosyoshimage]

Yeah, I don't get sports, like at all, but I'm a huge nerd, so stereotypes and such...

 

[Aprilgold]

I think you'll find a lot of things humans do are pointless.

It doesn't make them any less worth doing.

Exactly, but then people think some things are more pointless then others, SUCH AS playing games or watching film.

A football player makes about 1 million a year, right? Well, imagine if we could put that elsewhere, instead of into that sport. What if all that money went straight back to the government, or a quarter, or whatever amount? Sports are pointless, so is a lot of things we do, but for what they do, do you honestly think 100K a year is a fair amount for what they do?

I honestly think that for what they do, millions is pushing the bill a little bit. It may be hard work, but that amount seems to be pushing the amount, I can say that its probably just AS hard as construction jobs. Sports are more, physically a very hard working hobby.

Sports is essential for human life. its fun, good for exercise and i think you should get outside right now. also, chess ain't a sport.

If were going to class games as a sport or, more or less, Football as a sport, since that's my topic of the day, then why not Chess. Hell, Chess is not a viewer sport, its a strategic sport, its still a sport, and requires more forethought then Football or Soccer. As said before, Football is more or less a construction job, in a labor amount, while Chess is more like commanding miniature armies.

Should athletes be paid at all? Yes.

Should they be paid millions of dollars? No.

At the very least they should be paid enough to cover medical expenses and have stuff left over to invest and/or retire on when their bodies wear out. A million dollars a year is a bit excessive unless they're really prone to injury.

Can you give me a good reason why? I see a lot of people say that athletes shouldn't be paid millions but why?

People are willing to pay big money to see these people play. Why do they not deserve a large chunk of that?

Not to mention, the average career for a lot of these people might be a decade. That's assuming they can stay at a high level competing with a new generation every year or a freak play doesn't snap their leg in half. Even players who play in "lower impact" roles like Terrell Owens have to deal with chronic injuries that are going to affect them for the rest of their life.

On the injuries bit, it comes with the gig, by your logic, soldiers should be payed MILLIONS to go to war and fight, because more likely they will have a injury they will never recover from or a very long recovery time.

My problem with the amount they get payed, how much will go back into their country or back into a good cause? Now there are only allowed about 47 people on one NFL rooster at any given time that play, lets say that the players donated a quarter of a million dollars to any given charity or to the government or whatever.
If they did, it would balance out too 1,125,000$ to the party that they are giving to. This number may vary on players, but there's the idea right there. They still have 75% to themselves, and just gave a large amount to whatever party.

If their being PAYED so much and their keeping it to themselves, then I am rather annoyed. If their not going to do something good with that amount and just spend it on themselves, then I am very saddened by the selfishness of the act.

 

[TheDooD]

They should have some pocket money but a majority should go into paying for their education. Like you need to keep playing to stay in school without paying so much and you can only play if your grades are godlike. I don't see a problem if it's setup like this.