Why Are Teachers Still Getting Paid Less Than Athletes? (2024)

Teachers are the most important and essential part of the world. They are the backbone of society, technology, and even the government. Without education, humans would not be as advanced. So why are teachers getting paid less than sports players?

Iowa State University Department of Kinesiology

The world relies on teachers. So why don’t they get what they deserve?

Rebecca Harris, Columnist
February 2, 2021

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average 2019 wage for high school teachers is $61,660, and lower for elementary teachers, only $59,420. The average salary of an NBA player in the 2018-2019 year, according to The Balance Careers, is $7,422,823. Most of the income sports players make are from revenue, such as tickets or merchandise. On top of that, game tickets can cost hundreds of dollars, whereas every state offers free education until a certain age. This makes paying teachers harder as most of the money comes from the state, not from outside revenue. However, teachers are essential to every job there is. Without someone who knows how to multiply and divide, or write and read, many jobs would be lost, even a job as simple as working in a grocery store. Without teachers, young kids would not learn how to expand their skills and chase their dreams. On top of that, many students would not be able to pursue their passions, because they wouldn’t be able to gain knowledge or understanding of the topic. If there were no teachers, then sports players would not be successful in their careers and life outside of sports.

The concept of teaching has been around before humanity. It can be identified in animal behaviors such as teaching offspring how to kill prey or associate different kinds of calls and noises with food. Human forms of teaching can be traced back to stories and lores told by ancient civilizations, such as Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Mesopotamia. Many of these stories have morals or lessons that can be found in them, or hypothesize why something happens. While the reasoning in these stories is, for the most part, false, the point of the story is to teach others about why an event occurs and how to avoid it or turn it in your favor. Entertainment, however, is also older than humanity. Many animals play with each other, such as wolves, dolphins, and otters. In fact, both teaching and entertainment can, and do, go hand in hand. Wolf pups play-fight, which hones their hunting skills when they grow up. Humans would tell stories around a fire, in a theater, or some other communal area as a form of entertainment. Entertainment is not only enjoyable, it is necessary in human life. However, learning is too. Both provide a solid foundation as well as a delicate balance. Too much entertainment can lead to minimal or insignificant learning, but too much learning can lead to stress on the brain, which then leads to the inability to retain and use information.

Since both education and learning are necessary, teachers should be paid the same amount of money as sports players. Of course, there are higher risks when playing sports, as injury is more common in sports games than in a classroom. But teachers are the reason sports players get as far as they do in life, by teaching them logical thinking and practical skills. Teachers also do more than just teach sports players. They are the foundation of many jobs, companies, and passions. Teachers are the ones that instruct politicians in the needed skills to work in the government, and they also educate scientists on how to use the scientific process, which is then used to find new discoveries or dive deeper into old discoveries.

Teachers are the bedrock of the world, and they should be treated as such. Teachers should not be getting paid less than sports players, they should be equal to sports players.

Why Are Teachers Still Getting Paid Less Than Athletes? (2024)

FAQs

Why are teachers paid less than athletes? ›

Most of the income sports players make are from revenue, such as tickets or merchandise. On top of that, game tickets can cost hundreds of dollars, whereas every state offers free education until a certain age. This makes paying teachers harder as most of the money comes from the state, not from outside revenue.

Why teachers are paid so little in the US? ›

Teachers get paid so little because education is underfunded in the United States. This equation has other factors, but this is the prime reason. The professional group of teachers has not experienced a salary increase in quite a long time.

Why do NFL players make more money than school teachers? ›

Football players make more because they are working for entertainment and are also risking their lives in some ways. Because He worked hard and improved his skills. Most American teachers, who have the most challenging job of all — educating the next generation — also work hard. They earn less than a six-figure income.

Why do teachers get paid differently? ›

Teachers receive an annual salary typically based on their level of experience. Most public school districts adopt a step program that establishes a pay scale based on the number of years a teacher works within the district.

Are teachers really paid less? ›

Allegretto found that teachers are paid, on average, 23.5% less than other educated workers who choose other professions.

Why is teacher performance pay ineffective? ›

The teacher pay for performance model implies that teachers are unmotivated to excel and need to be bribed—by higher pay—to do their jobs better. This is insulting to teachers. Most teachers don't go into teaching for the money. They teach because they're passionate about education and because they care about kids.

What state has the most underpaid teachers? ›

The average salary for teachers was $49,583 in Florida—the second lowest in the country after Mississippi. All other occupations averaged $51,950, a 4.6 percent difference.

Why is teacher burnout so high? ›

Teaching is a rewarding yet demanding career. With long hours and a heavy workload, it's easy to fall prey to teacher burnout. Without proper support, teachers are in danger of being overworked and not taking care of their own mental and physical health needs.

How to make 6 figures as a teacher? ›

How to make more money as a teacher
  1. Find opportunities to earn supplemental money at your school. ...
  2. Do research on your location's pay rates. ...
  3. Earn an advanced degree. ...
  4. Take advantage of professional development opportunities. ...
  5. Transition to an administrative career. ...
  6. Offer tutoring options.
Jan 19, 2023

Are sports players overpaid? ›

Professional athletes are not overpaid. To some this may come as a shock, but just because an athlete like Lebron James, Manny Ramirez, Kobe Bryant, CC Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez, etc... sign huge contracts for over $20 million per season doesn't necessarily mean that professional athletes are overpaid.

Why pro athletes are not overpaid? ›

You might think they earn more than what they are worth for playing half a year, but athletes have many things which contribute to their salary. Some of these things include their earnings from endorsem*nts, ticket sales, performance, merchandise, their social contributions, and TV ratings.

Why should teachers be paid more? ›

Raising teacher salaries can help to improve the interest in the industry overall and improve the quality of the workforce. It can also help to keep teachers in the classrooms. Many teachers have reported being dissatisfied with their jobs because they have to work multiple side jobs to pay their bills.

What grade level teacher makes the most money? ›

What grade / level do teachers get paid the most? The highest earners are typically high school level teachers, and the lowest paid are preschool teachers.

What subject do teachers get paid the most? ›

Which Teaching Jobs Pay the Most?
  • High School Chemistry Teachers: for this position the salary range is $39,000-$72,000. ...
  • High School Math Teachers: for this position the salary range is $37,000 – $66,000. ...
  • Special Education Teachers: for this position the salary range is $37,000 – $78,000.
May 5, 2020

Why have teachers salaries become controversial in educational reform? ›

Why have teachers' salaries become controversial in educational reform? Reformers want teachers with high student test scores to earn merit pay. Which argument is used to advocate for performance assessment? Performance tests demonstrate how students apply knowledge.

Why are teachers quitting their jobs? ›

Beyond compensation, these educators also feel overworked and undervalued. Nearly 75 percent of respondents who cite expectations as a top reason they plan to leave say they have too much work to do each day and that there aren't enough teachers to carry the workload.

Are teachers happy with their salary? ›

Overall, 45 percent of teachers agreed that they were satisfied with their salary, and 55 percent disagreed (FIGURE 1).

Which country pays teachers the most? ›

Luxembourg. According to an OECD report, Luxembourg (a European country) has the highest-paid teachers in the world. Another source indicates that a bachelor's degree holder is entitled to an initial salary of €67,000 (US $70,323.20) per annum at the start of their teaching career.

How many teachers are fired for poor performance? ›

According to 2007–08 data, roughly one in 40 tenured teachers is fired for poor performance. But the more recent data suggests that it's more like one in 500 tenured teachers.

What is the problem with performance based pay? ›

High stress levels. A recent study published in the Human Resource Management Journal found that employees who receive performance based pay work harder than those who don't - but also experience higher stress levels and lower levels of job satisfaction.

What is the disadvantage of performance based pay? ›

The downside is that as salaries are usually only reviewed once a year, a high-performing employee might be tempted by a higher salary elsewhere before you have the chance to reward them for performing consistently well.

What is the lowest paid teacher state? ›

Where teachers are paid the least. On the other side of the pay scale, teachers, on average, earn as little as $47,156 a year in Hawaii, the lowest-paying state. It may be especially difficult to make ends meet on wages that don't keep up with the state's notoriously high cost of living.

What states are losing the most teachers? ›

According to data from the U.S. Department of Education for the 2022-2023 school year, Rhode Island has the largest teacher shortages in the following subjects: English as a second language, career and technical education, math, science, special education, health and physical fitness, world languages and language arts.

What job pays the least? ›

Here are the 10 lowest-paying jobs in the United States and their average salaries as of 2021: Shampooers: $25,160. Fast food cooks: $25,490. Hosts and hostesses (restaurant/lounge/coffee shop): $26,000.

Why teachers are quitting 2023? ›

Clip: 04/10/2023 | 17m 51s | Staffing shortages, burnout, funding cuts, and debates over the curriculum are adding to the pressures on America's educators. In her new book, bestselling author Alexandra Robbins followed three teachers to see how these issues are changing the way they work.

Why are teachers so unhappy? ›

A low salary, a lack of respect from parents and a lack of a work-life balance also were high on the list. The survey found that 1 in 5 teachers say they will likely leave the profession in the next three years, including 1 in 7 who say they will definitely leave.

Are teachers quitting at a higher rate? ›

Teachers appear to be leaving at higher rates, and there's been a longer-standing decline in people training to become teachers. At the same time, schools may have wanted to hire more teachers than usual because they remain flush with COVID relief money and want to address learning loss.

What Teacher makes $1 million in 3 years? ›

Teacher Turned OnlyFans Model Says She Made $1 Million in 3 Years. Phoenix-based Courtney Tillia is going viral after she quit her job as an educator to pursue content creation on the platform.

Can you make $100 K as a Teacher? ›

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average pay is highest for teachers in public elementary and secondary schools. Some of the highest-paid states include California at $84,659, New York ($87,543), and Washington D.C. ($79,350).

Can you make a living off of teaching? ›

And so you wonder, do teachers make enough money to live comfortably? Yes, in general, K-12 teachers in the U.S. make enough money to live comfortably depending on how they are accustomed to living.

What is the most underpaid professional sport? ›

Here are some of the lowest wages in professional sports:
  • Hockey. ...
  • Lacrosse. ...
  • Major League Soccer. ...
  • Minor League Baseball. ...
  • Mixed Martial Arts. ...
  • The NBA's D-League. ...
  • Rugby. ...
  • Tennis. According to Nicola Arzani of the ATP World Tour, professional tennis players earn prize money by round at each event they play.
Nov 25, 2014

Why do we pay athletes so much money? ›

In the US, the high productivity athletes are paid much more than lower skilled athletes. There is also a limited supply of top athletes that consumers are willing to pay to see, so a premium is paid to those athletes.

Are athletes overpaid or underpaid? ›

Athletes are Underpaid and Minimum Salaries are Relatively Low. We pulled minimum salaries for the four major leagues for the 2018-2019 seasons. The NHL comes in with a minimum salary of $700,000. Basketball players pull in an entry (2017-2018) $815,615 annually.

How many pro athletes go broke after retirement? ›

Being a professional athlete can be extremely rewarding and lucrative. However, a stark 78% of them will go broke after just 3 years of retirement, Craig Brown, an NKSFB Sports Business Division partner, told FOX Business' "Mornings with Maria" on Wednesday.

Who is the most paid athlete? ›

Top 50 Highest-Paid Athletes of All Time
RankAthleteInflation-Adjusted Earnings
1Michael Jordan$3.3B
2Tiger Woods$2.5B
3Arnold Palmer$1.7B
4Jack Nicklaus$1.63B
46 more rows

Are sports players underpaid? ›

There's no question that professional athletes are paid too much. In 2018, the average annual salary for an MLB player was $4.1 million. In the NBA, it was $7.1 million. In the NFL, it was $2.7 million, but the highest-paid player, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, gets an average of $33.5 million a year.

Do teachers get a lot of money? ›

In 2020, with 250,000 records available, we see the median total pay of full-time teachers was $91,067. Median total compensation – including benefits – was $119,422. These are facts, from actual data.

Why is teaching stressful? ›

Teachers work longer hours than many other positions, which often leads to burnout and stress. Some of the many contributing factors are lack of resources, work-life balance and political issues.

Should the school day start after 9 am? ›

One of the reasons adolescents do not get enough sleep is early school start times. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that middle and high schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later to give students the opportunity to get the amount of sleep they need, but most American adolescents start school too early.

What grade teacher is most in demand? ›

In the U.S., demand for teachers exceeded supply for grades K-12 in the country's public schools by more than 100,000 for the first time ever in 2019.
...
For the 2022-23 school year, the state has reported shortages in the following subjects:
  • early childhood education.
  • special education.
  • English.
  • math.
  • science.
  • ESL.
Oct 5, 2021

What is the highest paying job in the world per month? ›

1. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) This post comes with a lucrative salary and high authority, with an overall employment rate supposed to show an average rise of 8% between 2020 and 2030.

What is the most high paying job? ›

Highest-Paying Occupations
OCCUPATION2021 MEDIAN PAY
Physicians, all otherEqual to or greater than $208,000 per year
Physicians, pathologistsEqual to or greater than $208,000 per year
PsychiatristsEqual to or greater than $208,000 per year
RadiologistsEqual to or greater than $208,000 per year
17 more rows
Apr 4, 2023

What state has the highest teacher shortage? ›

Florida has the highest number of teacher vacancies while Utah has the lowest. Learn where your state falls and how officials are working to combat the teacher shortage.

Who is the richest teacher in the world? ›

One of the world's richest women just married a science teacher. The new marriage of MacKenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and Dan Jewett was first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Sunday. This must make him the world's richest teacher, right?!

Why are teachers underpaid historically? ›

A number of factors contribute to how far a teacher's salary goes—family structure, caregiving responsibilities, health issues, and student loans among them. While many teachers in the U.S. must work second jobs to live comfortably, plenty do not. Some of them live in states that pay better than others.

Why is teaching so underpaid? ›

There are a number of reasons why teachers are underpaid, including budget cuts, inadequate funding for education, a focus on standardized testing, and a lack of investment in teacher training and development. One of the primary reasons why teachers are underpaid is due to budget cuts in the education sector.

How bad is the teacher shortage in the United States? ›

It's a "crisis" in many districts. Others have more success filling positions. More than three-quarters of U.S. states are experiencing a teacher shortage, highlighting a growing concern among public education and government officials about issues that were exacerbated during three years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why are entertainers paid more than teachers? ›

Entertainers are using tech to entertain millions of people with a single performance. This makes them enormously productive. If teachers want to make it big, they should also embrace tech to reach millions of people for every one of their performances.

Why do athletes get paid more than doctors? ›

One of the reasons why athletes make more money than doctors is because of the industry that they work in. This industry includes both the image of a celebrity and the career of an athlete hence the pay gap between athletes and doctors.

What are 3 reasons college athletes should not be paid? ›

Why College Athletes Shouldn't Be Paid Opinion
  • Why College Athletes Shouldn't Be Paid Opinion. ...
  • #1 Bind to Contracts. ...
  • #2 Not Fair to Other Students. ...
  • #3 Athletes Will Neglect Studying. ...
  • #4 Athletes Get More Chances for Scholarships. ...
  • #5 Colleges Aren't Sports Establishments. ...
  • #6 It Will Raise the College Fees.
Apr 20, 2021

Why are professional athletes salaries so high? ›

Why are professional athletes paid so much money? It is the law of supply and demand. They have skills that are in demand and there is a short supply. As long as there is a demand team owners will pay the price.

Who makes the most money as a teacher? ›

The three states that pay teachers the most all offer more than $70,000 a year on average. New York leads the nation in teacher pay with an average salary of $80,286, according to WalletHub.

What is the highest paying teacher role? ›

8 of the Highest Paying Jobs in Education
  • School Principal.
  • University or College Administrator.
  • Professor.
  • Speech Pathologist.
  • Instructional Coordinator.
  • Special Education Teacher.
  • Librarian.
  • High School Teacher.

Who is the highest paying athlete? ›

LeBron James is the top-earning American athlete on Forbes' list. On top of becoming the NBA's all-time leading scorer this year, James also became the first active athlete to become a certified billionaire by Forbes last June.

Why is it unfair to pay college athletes? ›

By paying student-athletes, other programs in the school that don't bring in much money will be erased. Even the bigger schools in the NCAA won't be able to pay every single player and keep up financially with other sports programs resulting in them being cut off.

What is the argument against paying college athletes? ›

The NCAA urged the court to uphold the tradition of college athletes being unpaid amateurs. Critics of the pay-for-play scheme also fear the cost could lead schools to cut sports that don't generate as much or any revenue while sending more resources to their profitable football and basketball programs.

Why do college athletes deserve to be paid? ›

As a result, athletes frequently work outside of sports and academics to supplement their income, making this a primary argument for why should college athletes get paid. Paying them for their services would allow them to concentrate on their studies and athletics without being distracted.

Why aren t athletes overpaid? ›

You might think they earn more than what they are worth for playing half a year, but athletes have many things which contribute to their salary. Some of these things include their earnings from endorsem*nts, ticket sales, performance, merchandise, their social contributions, and TV ratings.

Why are actors overpaid? ›

Actors get paid so much because they are part of films, TV shows, and productions that generate a ton of money. Audiences grow to love and want to see more and more specific actors in films and TV shows.

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