TED Conversations

Heather Carpenter

This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »

Require athletes to pay a minimum of 25% of salary to the school system

I always find it a bit odd that athletes make such a grand salary and tend to spend on ridiculous items. I feel athletes should pay a mandatory amount to the educational system to help with teacher salaries. I feel this could entice more educated individuals to enter the education profession.

0
Share:
progress indicator
  • thumb

    Louis Ades

    • 0
    Nov 25 2012: I respect your good intentions, but I think that this is a little ridiculous. How can you justify placing a special tax specifically on athletes because you think that they don't spend their money properly. What about celebrities? What about wealthy politicians?
  • thumb

    Robert Winner 50+

    • 0
    Nov 24 2012: I looked up how many pro athletes graduated college .... approximately 27% of football, basketball, and baseball players.

    These are cash cows for the schools and never had the academic ability to begin with. They paid the schools directly with their talents while there. They will play ball for a few years and then retire on a pension from the league.

    A better idea would be to work to educate players and see them graduate. How many kids cannot not attend because their slot was taken by some quota system such as the athletic scholarship.

    Your idea about "educated individuals to enter the education profession" is, in my opinion not valid. The average teacher salary in the US, according to the web, is $44,000 per year and the teacher signs a contrat for differing hours but is slightly more than 800 hours on the average ... so that is approximately $55 per hour. The US average worker, per the Social Security Admin, is $42,979.61 for 2080 hours per year or $20.66 per hour. If money was the deciding factor then everone would want to be a teacher to get thirty dollars a hour more and work a lot less.

    I think that they should put the word graduated beside the players school when flashed accross the screen and did not graduate as approperate. On Sunday we all think that these are college graduates when it says John Doe University of Desert Knowledge or when the player say Jonh Doe in a cameo it is a lie much of the time. Also this is free advertisement for the school for failing a student and employing cash cow economics.


    All the best. Bob.
  • thumb

    Feyisayo Anjorin 50+

    • 0
    Nov 23 2012: You have not considered the fact that atheletes can only earn with their ability at a certain stage of life. They've got no pension.
    I guess you want Hollywood actors and popstars to pay as such too.
    Money is good for teachers as it is for everybody else, yet it would be better for teachers not to be 'enticed' by money. People should do what they are passionate about.

  • greg dahlen 20+

    • +1
    Nov 22 2012: well, the more money you make, the more money you're already paying to the educational system, because part of what you're paying in taxes, such as income tax, goes to support schools. But why do you want athletes to make a special payment to the education system, you could just as well say they should make a special payment to defense spending, or to Social Security, or to some other system. Why education in particular?
  • thumb

    Krisztián Pintér 200+

    • 0
    TED Translator
    Nov 21 2012: and i think everyone above USD 20000 per year should pay 25% to the bottom billion

  • Mikey Lee

    • +1
    Nov 21 2012: How do you define which athletes this applies to? The very top tier atheletes, for the top sports (in the US) make alot or money, but this is not representative of the majority of athletes, who have to supplement their income/training by having other jobs. I dont think a 25% tax would be very fair to the majority of atheletes who struggle as it is to pay their bills, whilst still being able to train/compete at a competitive level.
  • thumb

    Gail . 50+

    • +1
    Nov 19 2012: The problem with education is NOT teacher pay. It's teachers! They come out of a corrupted education system.

    If we fix the educational paradigm, we can fix almost all that is wrong with America. Our educational paradigm, and those of most countries, create sheeple, and sheeple are not innovative or inspirational.

    http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms.html

  • Robert Galway 20+

    • 0
    Nov 19 2012: A financially strapped education system is not just their problem, it is a problem for all Americans.

    In our country those that earn money are free to spend it in the pursuit of happiness.

    However, if we are dreaming, a more responsible thing might be for sports leagues to require 25% of all salaries for athletes below age 25 goes into a trust fund that pays out over the next 20 years in equal monthly annuity payments. That might actually allow them to grow into their wealth.
Showing all 8 comments