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Home > December 7, 2026 > Are Pro Athletes Paid Too Much?
Composite image of Stephen Curry dribbling in a white Warriors jersey as $100 bills fall around him

Stephen Curry is one of 20 NBA players who will earn at least $50 million this season.

Source: ESPN; Cary Edmondson/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Stephen Curry); Courtesy of families (Jasmine and James) 

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Are Pro Athletes Paid Too Much?

How much are three-pointers really worth? For a player in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the answer can be tens of millions of dollars. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors is getting paid more than $62 million this season. That makes him the NBA’s highest-paid player.

Athletes in other sports get paid big money too. For example, more than 200 players in the National Football League (NFL) will earn at least $10 million this season.

Some people say it’s unfair that sports stars make so much more than doctors, firefighters, and government officials do. Others add that players’ high salaries drive up ticket prices, making it harder for fans to afford to go to games. 

But many people think athletes earn their paychecks. They argue that few people have the talent to play pro sports. They also say athletes help bring in billions of dollars for their leagues and TV networks, so they deserve their fair share.

Here’s what two of our readers think.

Athletes are merely playing games and entertaining fans. People who risk their lives in their jobs, like police officers and firefighters, should earn much more money than sports stars do. 

A first-year teacher in my state makes about $50,000. Meanwhile, Juan Soto of the New York Mets gets an average of $51,000,000 per year. No one should be paid more than 1,000 times what a teacher makes just to hit a baseball! Imagine how many struggling families all that money could help.

Pro athletes put years of training into a career that could be gone in a second if they get injured. The average NFL career is only about four years. Players need to make money while they can.

Also, how much money do you think the team owners have? Many of them are billionaires! Players only get a small portion of the money a team makes. If players were to get paid less, it’s not like the money would go to lower-paid workers in other jobs. The owners would just keep it. 

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