The owner understands this and understands the value of his players and pays them accordingly. Fan participation increases the salaries of pro-athletes. The reason athletes are paid so much is because people keep going to the games, watch the games and buy the merchandise they endorse. Without these key players, fewer tickets would be sold, and people would not watch the games on television nor pay attention to the commercials (Felsenfeld, 1). The players know this, and they want to be justly compensated. If one does not want to see athletes get paid millions of dollars then one should stop supporting and participating in the fan endorsements. One is paying athletes exactly what they deserve, and one is paying them exactly what one allows them to earn.

             There are many setbacks that come along with the career of a professional athlete. Unlike most careers, the career of a professional athlete is a short one. The average career of a pro-athlete lasts between 10-12 years (Valasek, 1). Since their careers are so short, professional athletes make a lot of money due to the fact that they need to insure their future. The chances of becoming a professional athlete are very slim. It is harder to become a pro-athlete than a brain surgeon or any other highly paid job in today"s society (Valasek, 2). For example, while playing basketball Michael Jordan got paid about $90 million dollars per year (Orley, 1). He is the best basketball player in basketball"s history and the chances of anyone playing as good as Jordan are almost impossible. Michael Jordan is the best in the world at what he does and any person that is the best in the world at their occupation is making a large amount of money. Since the chances of becoming a professional athlete are so low then it is only logical that a pro-athlete should be getting paid more than a person in any other profession. There are many hardships and disadvantages of becoming a pro-athlete, which contributes to the high salaries that are received.