Are Actors and Professional Athletes Paid Too Much - Coursework Example

Are actors and professional athletes paid too much? Introduction Professional film industry and the sports arena are deemed as among the most profitable activities ever. It explains why nearly everybody in America, both young and old, envisions becoming a famous athlete or a movie star in order to earn much. The careers themselves seem to be surrounded by many rumors behind them on how these jobs are easy, no skills needed or hard work for that matter among other things. As it is, almost everyone claims that it is relatively easy to wake up and be an actress or actor and play whatever role in a given film. This is in comparison to other careers viewed as tedious and not as well paying, such as teaching. Perhaps the life of glamor experienced by such individuals does not do much to dispel this argument. Among athletes idolized in terms of payments include Arnold Schwarzenegger; a former bodybuilder later turned actor and a governor of California. Arnold, who is better known for his roles in Conan the Barbarian and the Terminator and the Expendables, is rumored to be among those that are highly paid in the industry. What is interesting is that he has lived in both sides of the acting and athlete jobs. Others include Dwayne “the rock” Johnson, who rose to fame as a professional wrestler with WWE. According to the Hollywood Reporter Magazine, actors such as Robert Downey Jr. and Sandra Bullock top the list when it comes to payments. Downey Jr’s $ 75 million emanates from his 7 percent slice in Iron Man # and a whopping $12 million from HTC endorsement deal. However, before we roast actors and actresses due to their salaries, we should know that there seems to be some discrimination among the big stars and those not considered as big stars. “When you a big star, you get well paid, with the middle being cut out,” one top agent commented on the Hollywood Reporter magazine. So much so that, Leornardo DiCaprio earned $25 million for the hit movie The Wolf of Wall Street with co-star Jonah Hill only managing $600000. What’s more is that DiCaprio even got nominated for an Oscar because of his “troubles.” According to Hollywood Life, The Big Bang Theory Fans are “outraged” over the multi-million deal lead actors Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, and Johnny Galecki have signed with CBC. What’s funny is that one would normally presume that fans would be thrilled by the news that their favorite sitcom actors would be bagging more. “Prior to the reported new deal, each actor was earning $350000. The trio has now tripled their paychecks having signed on for three more seasons when the show was renewed for all three back in March 2014. They will make over $90 million for the other seventy-two episodes slated to film over season eight, nine and ten,” says Elizabeth Wagmeister a writer with Hollywood Life. Professional athletes include such as Christiano Ronaldo, Selena Williams, and Tiger Woods among others who also earn loads. So, in a normal job recruitment or workplace area, what sets the ranges in remuneration? How much is too much? What differentiates actors and professional athletes from others in terms of salaries advanced? According to Occupational Outlook Handbook (313), there are key factors that should be considered when coming up with specific salaries. While they may differ from one job designation to another, others are standard. For example, the employer’s markets focus. This in itself sets the market platform for everything as it shows a market in which an employer operates with industries synonymous with vigorous or profitable markets like the smart phone market. It pays better than those with slow moving or unprofitable industries like education or even non-profit organizations. Thus, industries that are dynamic or growing in leaps and bounds when it comes to making money will in turn pay more as compared to their static counterparts. The job experience comes in second in my list. Let’s face it, the closer your documented experience is to the kinds of skills a certain employer or job requires, the higher your offer will go with the range that comes with that particular job. Nonetheless, extraordinary experience will lead to a person earning an out of the range pay. In the acting and professional athlete jobs, this is no different. The reason is because, besides experience, appeal is considered divine if a movie is to sell. It explains why a certain actor or actress will end up earning more just because she appeared in a part that did not cost her much in terms of time or efforts. Nevertheless, their mere presence or contribution, however small, will determine whether the movies will be a hit or not. In the showbiz industry or professional athlete, honors and awards can determine how much you get paid. Those who have earned honors and awards earn more than others as they are sometimes thought to offer additional skills and professional accomplishments. Their value or contributions are thought to distinguish between good and bad, and they are also viewed majorly in terms of prestige (The U.S Department of Labor 317). Salary history too is a factor that must be considered when scrutinizing the salaries advanced to athletes and actors. Picture a professional football player earning loads in a certain club and decides to be move to another club. Among the factors that will be put into mind by the new club acquiring him will include his previous salary history. The reason being that whatever he was earning earlier might put him on a low or higher level compared to someone in the same team or who could have played in the same position. It explains why it is not unusual to hear of people refusing to be part of clubs, jobs or movies because salaries offered then “underestimates” them. In other jobs, like the military or education, factors such as educational attainment will play a pivotal role as compared to those in the showbiz industry. In the traditional paradigm of negotiating for salaries, and in other professional jobs such as doctors, nurses, architects among others, their salaries are in most cases tied to their educational background. It should not be forgotten that they have spent significant years of their lives reading numerous volumes of books, training for that, but they will end up earning way less than those actresses and athletes. That is unfair, right? However, in the same industries, there’s discrimination in the enumeration packages based on the location of the individual. The U.S. Department of Labor (315) clarifies, “the work environment will greatly influence the payments where some people will work in areas that may lead to injuries.” For example, a New York or London based actor will receive more as compared to another based in Africa or Asian. Again, this will be tied to the cost or the standards of living in those given areas as well as the fact that they are viewed as top-notch in the industry itself. Proponents of actors and professional athletes earning as much as they do claim that acting in itself is quite a hard job taking a lot of skills (Frindle 81). These people will spend most of their time reading between lines; take time off their families to run hectic lives. At some point, these people have to wake up very early and do not go to sleep until they finish all the required work. In fact, many derail their lives and sacrifice themselves in order to have that life of glamor by virtue of not being able to strike a balance. Acting is arguably a hard job that require people to live strict lives in terms of what they eat, or have their lives interfered with. Entertainment is in itself a big and booming business. Every season and year, money is pumped into the industry. Better movies are coming up. People flock the movies; others are flocking iTunes to download them, and this leads to more money being realized. In my opinion, it is only logical for the players to earn more from their efforts and the thrill that they are creating. It is this actors and actresses that recreate events and problems that the audience may be going through. For example, in most cases, it will take a seasoned actress to bring quality entertainment to the people. This entertainment is, in my opinion, very therapeutic by giving the populace events they can relate to, give them an avenue to relieve stress, fill in their hours among other things. In fact, some give life lessons to the people and thus warrants significant salaries. It also applies to athletes who also provide entertainment through their competitions. Proponents that actors and athletes earn more provide a very interesting argument. According to them, these people are overpaid. Interestingly, some say that this is the society’s fault. As a society, we arguably spend a lot of time and money on entertainment. Sporting activities and the films will bring in millions of people whereas other activities, regardless of how good the teacher is, how good a military operation is, they would not bring in millions. The society idolizes these stars and has placed them on a very high pedestal as it is. The same society has set standards that these stars have to conform. Be it their dressing, their areas of residence, the places they hang out, and the exorbitant homes they possess among others (Bamber, 313). These people are the trend setters in the fashion industry and, therefore, they need to look good always. Thus, it is ironical that the same society is complaining about these stars and athletes being overpaid as they need to preserve this life and remain relevant. Conclusion Critics of the payments describe how acting and being an athlete does not require any skill. According to critics, save for the few who go to acting schools and few athletes who attend sporting academies, these people do not do much and they are thus certifiably overpaid. These people do little to earn such amounts. According to analysts, the same money should be extended in paying people who work more such as the policemen, the teachers, and others who have spent their time reading and training for these jobs. People that sweat and leave their families to serve others in and contribute to the economy in ways that can be viewed as significant. These people are paid too much. But in an industry that is not regulated by the Labor laws, where roles are defined in terms of payments and where one is celebrated depending on how much they earn. These stars and athletes earn what they should. As such, the debate on how much they should be paid rests squarely on how this question, how much should they be paid. What should be its basis? Answers to these questions will determine whether they indeed are paid enough, too much or too little. Works cited Bamber, Greg J., et al. Regulating Employment Relations, Work and Labor Laws: International Comparisons. Bulletin of Comparative Labor Relations, No. 74. Kluwer Law International, 2010. Print. Frindle, David. The Politics of Glamour: Ideology and Democracy in the Screen Actors Guild. University of Wisconsin Press, 2012. Print Hollywood life magazine. Web. December 6, 2014. . The Hollywood Reporter: The Latest Entertainment. Web. December 6, 2014. . The U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 2009. Print. Read More