Footballers = overpaid muppets?

[Davey_Pitch]

Decided to start a new thread on this rather than clog up the other one.

Originally Posted by Feek

"Hey you overpayed tw**s, go out there and play a game. Try and play it better than the other overpayed tw**s please. Score some goals if you can!"

Originally Posted by Nutcase

And what players there are, as fantastically overpaid

Originally Posted by Will

They're still overpaid muppets

Obviously the opinion from some people (most?) is that footballers are overpaid. I've had thoughts on this for some time but never really mentioned it till now. The main thought I have is - footballers are not overpaid, at least not more than a lot of other people who never get slated for the money they earn.

Football is an industry like any other. You have people at the top end, and people at the bottom end. The lower league footballers probably don't earn much more than me (an IT Technician), yet the top footballers can earn millions. This is comparable to so many other businesses and industries, where lowly workers struggle on minimum wage, while the directors at huge international firms get paid millions of pounds each year.

Why is it that only footballers seem to get slated about the money they earn? I never hear people say actors are overpaid, or musicians. Denzel Washington got paid roughly £20m for his last film, yet probably only did about 3-6 months work on it. No footballer in the world earns that kind of money. How about the top musicians? They can earn millions for a top selling album, and millions more from a tour, yet all they do is sing or play an instrument.

I know people are going to argue that all they get paid to do is to run around a field kicking a ball, and though I feel that's a very narrow view (the amount of training required to stay fit is unbelievable), the same comments never seem to get thrown anywhere else. Tiger Woods earns more a year than pretty much every footballer, but all he does is hit a little ball around, he doesn't even run after it. Hell, Lewis Hamilton gets paid millions for sitting on his arse in a car.

Yes footballers at the top level do get paid huge amounts of money, more in a week than I make in 5 years. I do wish I was paid as much as they do. However, why is it only footballers who get slated for the money they earn? Why does no-one else get called "overpaid muppets"?

Over to you.