| As a kid, most of us will have dreamed about scoring | | | | used to pay these sportsmen comes from a variety |
| a touchdown, or landing that crucial dunk. We'll have | | | | of sources. Sports clubs take in primarily gate |
| imagined hitting the home run to win the game, or | | | | receipts from spectators in addition to the sale of |
| thought about scoring the penalty to win the league. | | | | snacks and merchandise at each event. In addition to |
| We'll also probably have thought about the vast | | | | that, they secure massive sponsorship deals and |
| amounts of money, supermodel girlfriends and | | | | additionally strike up contract with TV channels to |
| massive houses, right? These things all go together | | | | broadcast their progress. As if this wasn't enough, |
| with being a top flight sportsman in modern times. | | | | they also trade sportsmen's contracts for millions, and |
| It sounds like the dream job, and to an extent it's | | | | receive financial rewards along the way for winning |
| easy to see why: playing a sport you love all day and | | | | competitions. |
| being paid through the nose for your efforts. Take | | | | At the end of the day, sport is a business and |
| the example of soccer star David Beckham and his | | | | players are its assets. Without sportsmen, teams |
| recent move to MLS - in excess of $200 million over | | | | could not play, and thus the value paid to sportsmen |
| 5 years, which isn't bad. That works out at a total of | | | | for their services is no surprise. Additionally, the fact |
| 17 full days on the soccer pitch over 5 years for all | | | | that each sportsman generates large revenues |
| that money. Not bad going, huh? But why is this the | | | | through their own merchandising for the club or team |
| case? Why should these sportsmen receive so much | | | | makes them an invaluable investment for any |
| for doing their job? | | | | organisation. |
| The fact of the matter is that $200 million could build | | | | Furthermore top skills are always in demand, and like |
| several brand new hospitals and schools, and could go | | | | anything you have to pay for quality. Although it |
| some way towards social security. It's not a lot in | | | | might seem unjust, the large scale operations of the |
| national scale terms, but it's a lot for one man to be | | | | major sport industry is testament to traditional |
| earning for kicking a ball around a park. The money | | | | market economics in our society. |