This morning I am tempted to write about the Colorado shootings (the idiocy of allowing American citizens to be armed with semi-automatic weapons) or the Miami Dade race for mayor (if more people read Eye On Miami, voters would know why Martinez deserves to be returned to the private sector) but this morning I am going to write about an eye-brow raising event in France, where a bad economy provoked French politicians to express "disgust" over professional athletes and their multi-million dollar salaries.
It is about time. I love sports as much as the next person, but until the best school teachers are valued higher than grown men who play with a ball of one kind or another, I will stay away from spending my money with the Miami Heat, the Florida Marlins, or the Miami Dolphins. My personal boycott over the years is not having a profound impact except for being able to write: something about the value we confer on gladiators is just too resonant with the declining empire theme. But then I'm not a purist on this point. I do follow professional football in Europe where the top stars are very well paid, too.
I'm waiting for the day when a candidate for office in the United States or an elected official declaims against the salaries of professional athletes like happened in France in the case of Swedish superstar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who transferred to the Paris club, PSG, for $30 million. Top French politicians have taken the opportunity to rail against Ibrahimovic's salary ("indecent").
But here is the kicker: France is set to impose a 75% tax bracket on those earning over $1 million Euros per year.
3 comments:
One big problem is that 80% of professionals don't stick around their sports but 2-3 years.
In the NFL (not even including NFL Europe, Arena football, etc) "Sports Illustrated estimated in 2009 that 78 percent of NFL players are bankrupt or facing serious financial stress within two years of ending their playing careers. In the NBA 60% of players are broke within five years of retiring from the game."
A lot of that is bad money management, but a lot of it is also players that make a few hundred thousand and they don't have many other job skills besides the sport.
"I'm waiting for the day when a candidate for office in the United States or an elected official declaims against the salaries of professional athletes"
I also follow European football.
Politicians will "declaim" lots of things. Whatever they have to say to get/keep power will be fine for them. I hope you're not implying that we need regulation of sports' salaries.
nonsense. signing ibra was the best thing that could happen to the french state
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