On average, professional baseball players are paid eight times as much money as the President of the United States. These players make about 3.2 million dollars on average every year. The president of the United States has a yearly salary of approximately 400,000 dollars. How did sports go from a game played for amusement to a business empire?

The first recorded Olympic games took place in 776 B.C., and sports have been assumed to have been played for centuries long before that. At that time, the Olympics were held for men to prove their strength and for all others to be entertained. Some of the activities included wrestling, running, jumping and a discus throw.

Historians believe that the athletes in the ancient Olympics weren’t paid at all. There prize was being able to show their strength to many people and being given the chance to show their skills at a sport that they’re passionate about. Somehow, in the last 2790 years since the 776 B.C. Olympics, sports have went from the beloved games that people were passionate about, to a ruthless business that only cares about making as much money as possible.

“I think that it’s not OK that baseball players are so overpaid, but I also think that we as fans have fed into that by turning baseball into a business, rather than the game you see kids playing at the park.” Junior RJ Schlegel, a Pirates fanatic, said.

A professional baseball player hits a ball with a bat and runs around a diamond for a whopping 3.2 million dollars. The president, on the other hand, is the main representative of our nation and has the future of our country in his hands with every crucial decision he makes. The job requires constant attention, and he never can predict when the nation will be in crisis. Not only is it endless work, but there’s also the delicate balance of trying to keep at least the majority of the nation happy with your work. The leader of our nation undergoes all of that stress, yet work for 400,000 dollars yearly.

“I think that athletes should make more money because they bring such entertainment and playing sports is dangerous,” Senior Casey Prell said.

There is definitely the risk of injury for athletes, but there has also been four presidents that have been assassinated. I think that being the president is not only more mentally straining, but it also puts their health at risk; just like an athlete. Personally, I think the mental stress of being the president far outweighs the physical stress of the grueling training that athletes undergo. I think it’s shameful that our society is willing to pay athletes who provide short-term entertainment more than the person who is running an entire country.

The teams that the athletes play on have gone from a symbol of unity and pride, to huge businesses focused on greed and bringing in as much money as possible from loyal fans.

“I will definitely be a lifelong fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins and will continue to buy their merchandise to help support the team.” Freshman David McKenna said.

The fault for America’s beloved pastime of sports turning from passion to greed is no one’s but our own country’s.