Updated Multimodal 1
Updated Multimodal 1
Jake Gniadek
Professor Ferrara
English 1001
Over the past few years, we have seen professional athletes receive huge contracts. In
July 2020, we saw one of the NFL’s most popular names Patrick Mahomes receive a contract
worth $503 million over the next 10 years. That is around $50 million a year for the player! This
is something football fans have never seen before. There will be debates for years that this is way
too much money for someone who just throws a football around for three hours once a week.
The thing is, there are many reasons why Mahomes got that big of a contract. There are also a
few players in all sports who will receive 10-year contracts and earn half a billion dollars. Most
players will sign contracts for three or four years, but Mahomes plans to stay with the Kansas
City Chiefs for the rest of his career. The huge contracts are given to the players who are the best
at what they do and are considered the best players in their sport. Professional athletes deserve
the amount of money they earn since viewership is so high, they have multiple ways to earn
revenue, and they go through many challenges few people think of.
We can all agree the NFL is the most watched and viewed sport in the US. While other
sports like soccer and basketball are growing in popularity and viewership, football will always
be king in this country. The Superbowl will always attract millions of viewers every single year.
What is smart about the Superbowl is even if you do not like football, you can look forward to
the halftime show. People also like to watch the commercials and then pick which one was their
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Sunday. In recent years, the NFL has been playing games on Christmas, but they are always
known for their Thanksgiving games. The most popular team, the Dallas Cowboys will always
play on Thanksgiving because they are one of the most popular sports teams in the world, and
the NFL sees this as a way to bring in views. The Cowboys quarterback, Dak Prescott, will
always be under the microscope because he is on the most popular team. Studies on ProQuest
have said, “According to the NFL, the Cowboys were featured in five of the 10 most-watched
games this season, including a Thanksgiving matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on CBS
that averaged nearly 41 million viewers and was the biggest game of the season in terms of
ratings” (Flint). My family and I were a part of those 41 million viewers, as my dad is a
Cowboys fan, and we enjoy watching football. It makes sense that the Cowboys were featured in
so many of the most-watched games last season. Their fan base is massive, and it will keep
growing. According to my survey, when asked if they watch sports on a regular basis, 41.7%
said they watch sports every day, and 33.3% said they watch sports a couple of times a week. So
survey I also asked if they have attended a sporting event. This time, 33.3% said they attend very
often and 41.7% said they have attended a couple of times. Only 8.3% said they have never been
to a sporting event; this proves how popular and fun it can be watching a sporting event live.
This means that most respondents in my survey spent their own money on tickets, and even
bought merchandise and food at the stadium or arena, contributing to the team's wealth.
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While these athletes have contracts with their teams, they also have many ways to earn
money like their gameday salaries. Players step on the field to put on a show for their team and
fans. Depending on the sport they play, some players have more games than others. In the NBA
regular season, there are 82 games a season, while there are 17 games in the NFL regular season.
There is a lot of pressure that goes into games, and if a top player does not perform, the media
will start to hate. Injuries are also a key factor, because if a player's contract is not guaranteed,
they are not required to be paid while they are recovering. Another way players earn revenue is
endorsements off the field. Lebron James is a notable example of an athlete who is endorsed by
many companies. When people think of the NBA, Lebron James is the first name that comes to
mind. He has been dominating the league since 2003 and is still one of the best players today. In
my survey I asked if they had seen athletes they know in commercials. 58.3% of respondents
said they see them quite often in commercials and 25% said they see them in commercials
sometimes. This is around 83% of respondents. This proves that these players have huge roles in
these companies. Brett Knight of Forbes acknowledges that, “The Los Angeles Lakers forward
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would rank fifth on this list with his Nike deal alone; it pays the 37-year-old $32 million
annually. James jumped to PepsiCo last March after 17 years with Coca-Cola, becoming the face
of Mtn Dew Energy, and he started pitching a second label with the company in December as
part of a Ruffles campaign” (Knight). It makes sense how James’ net worth reached $1 billion
last year. With this he became the first active NBA player to become a billionaire. In many ways
it is deserved for the man who calls himself the “king,” but I see why some people will be angry
Many people will disagree and say that this is too much money for someone who runs
around for a few hours compared to important occupations like doctors, teachers, police officers
and more. While these athletes train every day to become the best version of themselves, the
same can be said about doctors. They go to school for many years and work extremely hard to
help and save lives. I was in the emergency room recently, and I know everyone who helped me
does not earn the amount of money they deserve. I was just one of the thousands of patients they
help every year. It is crazy the amount of money these players earn, but the team owners feel it is
appropriate. Money will keep being earned through viewership and endorsements, and the team
owners will invest the millions of dollars they have into these teams.
I understand that people who do not watch or play sports will get angry and act like being
an athlete is so easy. However, this is so far from the truth. While the top players make the large
contracts, there are many players who make the minimum, which is still a lot of money. The
thing is, there are also players who might not get picked up by a team and be without a job.
However, in my opinion, the most challenging aspect of being a professional athlete is injuries.
Some injuries can be minor; however, some can be career ending or even life-threatening. Eliza
O’Toole of EBSCO states, “To date, it has been shown that sports injuries in males and females
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differed by injury types and that females had a higher percentage of overuse injuries than
traumatic injuries, reverse for males” (O’Toole 100-101). We see many traumatic injuries in
sports, but the most common sport is football. I have read about many serious injuries about this.
I have read Believe, by Eric LeGrand. This was an autobiography about a former college football
player who aspired to go to the NFL, but he never could because of one injury. During a game,
he sustained a spine injury, and he was only able to move his head. He was later deemed
paralyzed, and his book was so inspiring on how he believed he could still live out his life. This
is a rare injury, but there are many cases we do not even hear about. Something we do not think
about in contact sports are brain injuries that can potentially last for the rest of these people’s
lives. The rate of concussions has risen, and any head injury is treated seriously, because if it is
not treated, their lives can be affected in the future. According to the Brain Injury Research
Institute, they researched, “Brain injuries cause more deaths than any other sports injury. In
football, brain injuries account for 65% to 95% of all fatalities. Football injuries associated with
the brain occur at the rate of one in every 5.5 games. In any given season, 10% of all college
players and 20% of all high school players sustain brain injuries” (Bailes). It is not just football
players who suffer from these injuries, it can be any contact sport like soccer, basketball, boxing
and more. Players in these sports do not wear helmets, but a clash of heads can potentially be
extremely dangerous and life changing. While many players can recover from injuries, many are
Everyone has questions about how athletes could spend all this money. As I stated earlier,
Lebron James is a billionaire. What could he do with his money? Sources have said that James
spends around $1.5 million on his body. This explains why he is still one of the best athletes in
the world at 38 years old. It is expected that he will have a nice house and nice vehicles, but there
are more important things he spends his earnings on. Keith Schneider of The New York Times
informs us, “The foundation’s latest and largest project is the $2.875 million it paid in December
to buy the Tangier, an entertainment and events center in Akron. Renovation of the 60,000-
square-foot building, renamed House 330, started in January, and is expected to be completed
next year. The project will provide training and jobs for students interested in careers in food
James certainly did not have an easy childhood, just like the children and adults he is helping.
Helping these people is something he does not have to do, but he knows how important it is to
aid those in need. He wants everyone to have the best opportunities in life, and there is a reason
he is my favorite athlete.
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In conclusion, the amount of money athletes earn is insane, but it is worth it through the
high viewership and the risks they play through. There are many things they do off the court or
field that go unnoticed, and they are role models to a lot of people. They go through so much
criticism, and they must push through the tough times to be there for their teams. It is a lot easier
Works Cited
Bailes. “What Is a Concussion?” What Is a Concussion? | Brain Injury Research Institute, 2023,
http://www.protectthebrain.org/Brain-Injury-Research/What-is-a-Concussion-
.aspx#:~:text=in%20the%20U.S.-
,10%25%20of%20all%20contact%20sport%20athletes%20sustain%20concussions%20yea
rly.,than%20any%20other%20sports%20injury.
Flint, Joe. “NFL Viewership Scores 10% Gain.” ProQuest, 13 Jan. 2022,
https://www.proquest.com/docview/2619095859?parentSessionId=jiqlgQ%2FSjUKU5A
Knight, Brett. “The Most Marketable NBA All-Stars: Lebron, Durant and Curry Lead a $234
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brettknight/2022/02/11/the-most-marketable-nba-all-stars-
lebron-durant-and-curry-lead-a-234-million-endorsement-roster/?sh=1f3de35d40b7.
Macasero, Michael. “‘Lay off the Chips, Wine, Tequila... Get off the Couch and Work on Your
Free Throws!" - Skip Bayless Throws Major Shade at Lebron James on social media in
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free-throws-skip-bayless-throws-major-shade-lebron-james-social-media-response-ad.
O'Toole, Eliza. Athletes: From Performance Analysis to Injury Prevention. 2020, Nova,
https://web.p.ebscohost.com/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook?sid=2d98cd8e-6680-4d6f-9454-
“Raiders vs Cowboys: Thanksgiving Football Game Score and Highlights.” MARCA, 26 Nov.
2021, https://www.marca.com/en/nfl/2021/11/24/619d8c28ca47410f6c8b45de.html.
Rapp, Timothy. “Lebron James Family Foundation 'I Promise' School Approved for Akron.”
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2746496-lebron-james-family-foundation-i-promise-
school-approved-for-akron.
Schneider, Keith. “How Lebron James Uses His Influence on Improve Community
Development.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Mar. 2021,
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Bobby-Roundtree-Eric-LeGrand-Rutgers-spinal-cord-injury-132208453/.