How much footballers earn??

[giraffe_02]

This question is more of a debate. This has probably been mentioned quite a few times, but why is that footballers are allowed to earn so much and get treated like something special?? I was watching the news about Wayne Rooney today and he gets so much special treatment for a broken foot, it is ridiculous!!

The amount of money all the footballers earn in a life time could pay for millions of children in Africa who have no houses or food and water.

[electricblue]

Absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At the end of the day,a bunch of men kicking a bag of air around on a piece of grass,OVERPAID,OVERSEXED,treated like something out of this world,when football is just a GAME,thats it, a GAME!!!

[andy-hughes]

The argument used in favour of the wages footballers receive is the amount of money they generate in terms of gate receipts and endorsements.

Wayne Rooney is seen, rightly or wrongly, as the talisman and lynchpin of the England squad, and his presence on the pitch could mean the difference between victory and defeat, which, given the pride (and money!) at stake, explains the vast interest in his condition.

The plight of people in other countries is the responsibilityof the word's governments, not individual people who's total lifetime earnings would be a drop in the ocean compared to the structured investment starving countries' economies need.

[electricblue]

Still overpaid for kicking a bag of air though!!!!!!!!!

[Aliceband]

overpaid for doing something they enjoy. kicking a ball about!

[horsestache1]

Footballers like the rest of us have contracts of employment. Their salary is agreed at the start of their contract. So if a club is willing to pay the X amount and the individual agrees this amount, then you have a binding contract of employment.

[electricblue]

Yeah,,,,,,,,,,,,,but still overpaid for a GAME,,,,,

I wonder why so many kids wanna be footballers,

Just for the love of it???????

Mmmmmmmm,how long will that last?

[Octavius]

Tom Hanks gets $25m a movie, Robbie Williams is reported to have an �80m recording contract, Terry Wogan gets paid �800k a year by the BBC.

Footballers entertain 1000's of fans a week who pay for that privelege. Is your point just about football rather than their salaries?

[horsestache1]

So you'd say NO if someone was willing to pay you that kind of money to kick a ball :)

[electricblue]

Not a chance,but when compared to some jobs that DO deserve better pay,all that money for a GAME, irks the hell out of me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[noxlumos]

Well until the Tony Kay scandal of the 60's professional footballers were paid very little indeed. Part of the problem then was player like the very talented Tony Kay recieved so little pay that they were open to being paid to throw games by syndicates intent on turning over the bookies. If the lads can get the money they do then good luck to them, just like anyone else. They aren't killing anyone so where's the harm?

[Pippa68]

Footballers careers can be rather short too ~ they can end up on the scrapheap after 5 years.

Good luck to them :o)

[electricblue]

Overpaid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[vehelpfulguy]

giraffe_02, in your question you ask "why are footballers ALLOWED to earn so much".

But surely everyone, in any job, should be allowed to earn as much as they can, as long as someone is willing to pay them.

If someone was willing to pay me a million pounds a week to sit in the corner of a room and pick my nose then I should be allowed to do that.

[vehelpfulguy]

Football is part of the entertainment business.

As someone else said, Tom Cruise is paid millions for every film he makes, but only because the people making the film know they will get that back at the box office.

In the football world Sky TV pay about a billion pounds for the rights to show football on TV, and that money filters down to the clubs, who then want the best players, so they have to pay for them.

Watford got promoted to the Premier league at the end of last season, this is worth somewhere between 10 and 20 million pounds to them, even if they stay up only one season.

If they want to stay up longer than one season, they have to buy good players, and so they have to pay the wages of the good players, which does not come cheap.

If the public ever stop paying to watch football on TV then Sky will pull out of the business and salaries will plunge, but for now it is like any other business, you have to pay big to get the best.

btw, if you think footballers salaries are large see what some of the sportsmen in the USA earn, baseball players and so on.

And I think Tiger Woods earns about 100 million dollars a year, all for hitting a little ball into a little hole.

[gessoo]

lol electricblue. I feel the same as you but have to admit it's probably due to the fact that I loath football because if I am honest I don't begrudge Robbie Williams, or lots of other entertainers their wealth at all.

I just can't understand what is entertaining about football and noone can ever change that. Each to his own though.

[funkymoped]

does anyone on this planel really think ANY sports person is worth �100,000 a week ?!?!?!??!?!

so what if they`ve got short careers. in five years they will earn more than 99.9999% of the population earn in a life time !!!!! also, what about the players who play for 10-15 years, in the top flight... or the ones that go into management... they earn 10`s of millions.

these people are PLAYING a game. the same game millions of kids are playing today in the parks....

would i turn the money down ??? no i wouldnt, but i still think they are WAY OVERPAID !!!

[gessoo]

Yes, you are right funkymoped and even though I suggested (tongue in cheek) otherwise I think that all celebrities are getting far too much these days. It has got out of control. But I suppose whilst people are prepared to pay them megabucks nothing will change it. I wish we knew the answer.

The world has gone mad!!!

[gessoo]

I also agree that it's pretty silly to say they have a short career so it's right that they get a lot of money. Just think of the interest alone on their money, that would be enough to give them a fantastic lifestyle until their dying day.

[funkymoped]

whats stopping these people getting a real job when the football money stops coming in ?

short career for Beckham will probably give him �100 million to play with.

[giraffe_02]

Someone has obviously decided, that footballers are allowed to earn X amount of money, because there is obviously someone putting money into there bank account every month oops.. sorry every week!!

I just think the money they earn could be spent on better things ie I think doctors and nurses and people who save lives should be entitiled to more money than any footballer!!

I particular bothered about what people in other countries earn because that's their countries problem!

just imagine what 100 pounds a week could do to all those starving children, and how footballers waste 100,000 on flash cars and the latest technology etc. plus Footballers like David Beckham make money in other ways as well such as After Shave!!