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When we hear some of the eye catching contracts being signed in the sporting World, the average sports fan cannot bit try to comprehend some of the more outrageous figures that these sportsmen and women (mostly men though...lol) take home.
Take for instance someone like Floyd Mayweather, whose Last paycheck - where he reportedly made at least $65 million for an exhibition fight against a YouTube content creator. For me, that huge pay was unjustifiable, yet the sporting market is not a charity and rewards not just the most talented of athletes, but the most marketable.
Nonetheless, there is a big room for the very talented to be rewarded from their various disciplines. There will come a time when those at the very top of their sport feel like worthy carriers of their disciplines and brand performers. As a top athlete, you are of course a brand ambassador for your discipline and she big part of how the sport is perceived. For this there are a lot of expectations from fans, regulatory bodies and indeed the entire World.
However, this means that there needs to be a constant retention of the status quo in order to keep being an ambassador. One of the best ways is to remain absolutely dominant at the top of your field, as a decline in performance will eventually see the athlete lose that aura of invincibility and an inevitable drop in popularity.
It means athletes have to consistently deliver in order to Maintain their value. It is no wonder then the apparent desperation on the eyes of some athletes to remain relevant in the face of declining performances. Take for instance the padding of records by combat athletes, or the very selfish displays by individual players in team sports just to keep up with their stats, to the detriment of the entire team.
Truth be told, some earnings are a bit hard to justify and should not even be considered irrespective of the level of talent one has, but the sporting industry is so large and some athletes are so influential that it is difficult to deny them any demands with regards to remuneration. One can say that athletes who have paid their dues (helped in popularising or growing their respective sports) through their performances are worthy of wages.
The NBA for instance has people like Russell Westbrook on maximum contracts ($44 million) over what he has done in the past, while some athletes who have performed or had more impact than him this season are on minimum deals (say $1 million). This type of disparity is what calls for better consistency towards the distribution of incomes in the sporting World, although no-one can deny the fact that someone like Westbrook for instance is incredibly talented and has been one of the growth enhancers for the NBA with his performance over the last decade and a half.