Accomplished sportsmen are highly paid professionals. More so than many from other important aspects of life.A section of society opines that such high compensation is at par with market expectations while others beg to differ.Ours being a consumer driven society, I strongly agree that high remuneration for successful sportsmen is completely justified and over the course of this essay will discuss both viewpoints.
Sport is a form of entertainment and sportsmen are its heroes. Therefore society decides the price based on the popularity of a sport.First of all, successful sportsmen through their skills bring excitement and thrill to our mundane lives.For example, Indian Premier League cricket brings lot of entertainment to general public.Consequently, society is willing to pay a price to see cricketing great Virat Kohli perform well in the field. It is a win-win situation for all. Secondly, tremendous amount of hard work, dedication and personal sacrifice make a professional sportsman. Therefore efforts put in by sportsmen is by no means lesser than efforts put in by professionals in other important fields and deserve a fat paycheck.
On the other hand, naysayers argue that people in many important professions are paid less.For example, policemen and army men protect and serve our country.It is because of them, society is able to enjoy a great game of cricket played by the likes of Virat Kohli. In return, such policemen and army men are often poorly compensated.
Having considered a range of arguments, I have drawn the conclusion that, in a consumer driven market, whatever sells well, pays well. Therefore high remuneration of successful sportsmen is completely justified.