Footballers = overpaid muppets?

[Pebs]

LOL! Ignore me, if I didn't have the kids here I'm in the frame of mind to be out smashing windows tonight.

[Davey_Pitch]

Originally Posted by Kitten

I think it's disgraceful the amount of money that's in football. I saw an Everton birthday cake in Asda before for £3.49! £3.49!!!

None of my birthday cake you for this weekend then

[killerkebab]

Originally Posted by Will

Hardly, football takes the prize for highest earners. Rubgy players for example aren't paid even half as much, yet play at a higher level, more passion and honour than the pansies that are football players. Top athletes, swimmers and other types of atheletes, heck even snooker players aren't paid nearly near as much - yet they are so much more pleasant to read about, talk to, are generally more educated and in general much more bothered about their profession. They can call themselves professional sportsmen, the football players are mere puppets that don't have the guts to stand for any values and just go with what the flow is. Sure some of them do stuff for charity and whatnot, but they hardly are diplomats for the country or their sport. And the fans they bring along with them don't help. If they lowered the salaries and let them played for the passion of playing things would be different. I'm willing to bet that if you paid them say 200k a year you'd lose the majority of the teams, those that remained are either the mini leaguers that aren't that good, or left with the real passionate players.

Would you halve your salary 'for passion' in your profession?

Football takes the prize for highest earnings because football is by far the most popular sport in the world. Who can blame the top footballers for taking the money they are given? Wouldn't you?

[Dr. Z]

Actually, its not even close for highest earnings, all things considered (and even outright?). Golf, Basketball and F1 all pay more than most Premiership footballers could ever dream of earning. I don't know who the highest paid footballer is, but it was mentioned above that Beckham was paid €35m on a 4-year deal when he moved to Real Madrid. Schumacher was paid ~£20m by Ferrari in his last season for them. I think the average F1 wage bill is something like £40m for the teams. Even if only half of that was paid to the two drivers, I don't know of any premiership footballer getting paid £200k a week.

[Davey_Pitch]

The highest paid sportsman in the world is Tiger Woods, with Beckham in place. No other footballer comes close though, with all the next positions taken up by golfers, F1 drivers, basketball, baseball and US Footbal players. I would imagine Roger Federer to be very high as well.

[Matblack]

Originally Posted by Davey_Pitch

The highest paid sportsman in the world is Tiger Woods, with Beckham in place. No other footballer comes close though, with all the next positions taken up by golfers, F1 drivers, basketball, baseball and US Footbal players. I would imagine Roger Federer to be very high as well.

As I said before for me its about how these people conduct themselves, in the main those people come across (with a very few exceptions) as decent members of society however this is too often not the case with footballers.

I understand that its a team game and that there are more of them to do something wrong and more press attention on them but despite that they do seem to make idiots of themselves on far too regular an occasion and as they have a huge following in the UK they are often not good role models for young people and adults alike. This is what in my mind makes an overpaid muppet, not the size of the paycheck.

MB

[Tiggy]

Originally Posted by Kitchen Meister

Sorry Will but that is a very biased answer. I assume you are talking about Rugby Union which is always played by posh/grammar schools and don't play football as it is too common, so of course the rugby players will have a higher level of education than the footballer who goes to a worse school.

My nephew goes to a secondary school which is very very big on rugby, and it isnt a posh school or a grammar school

Sam isnt the brightest button in the pack, but the school are doing their best to make sure each child's own potential is reached.

I can see what Will was trying to say. Perhaps he didnt say it in the best way.

I'd like to explain my perception of what Will meant in my own special little way....Megan idolises Dora the Explorer. Dora is a well behaved young lady who takes pride in everything that she does. She works hard, is kind and thoughtful to others and is always polite.

Now if my almost 4 year old idolised lets say... Cookie monster... I'd be concerned. All he cares about is the cookies. Getting the cookies, keeping the cookies and consuming the cookies, and staying out of cookie rehab. In my opinion he's always been the bad boy of sesame street, more so than oscar the grouch. He's never been bothered about anything else as long as he gets his cookies at the end of every scene he's in. Ok, so I could've used a better example but I'm eating a cookie here

Toby seems to want to be a teletubby when he grows up- he'll grow out of it I hope.

We all have different levels of education, lifestyles and such. Diversity is the spice of life in my opinion.

I have 9 gcses, failed 4 a-levels, gotten halfway through 2 nvq's. I'd really like for Megan and Toby to go further with their education than I have so far, and i'd much rather they idolised celebrities who are good people (yes, I know education has nothing to do with being a good person) who strive to reach their potential (whether that's through formal education or not) and have passion about what they do.

[Tiggy]

Originally Posted by Tiggy

I'd like to explain my perception of what Will meant in my own special little way.....

You mad bint, go to bed

[Dymetrie]

Originally Posted by Tiggy

have passion about what they do.

I think this is the most well thought out and important point that has been made in this thread.

In my opinion then footballers are paid an incredible amount of money,m are stars, and do nothing with it. Other athletic stars (who are paid immense amounts) actually try to promote either their sport or an education and bettering in general.

I wouldn't call our football stars muppets... OK, I would, but only because they seem to just live the life of Riley rather than trying to encourage the young to strive to be better in a beneficial way.

Of course I could be wrong...

[Garp]

Originally Posted by dymetrie

I wouldn't call our football stars muppets... OK, I would, but only because they seem to just live the life of Riley rather than trying to encourage the young to strive to be better in a beneficial way.

Of course I could be wrong...

There are some footballers that get involved in various community outreach projects, and stuff like Footballers against racism or whatever its called ("Show racism the red card"), but like many of us (myself included) they could do more