People in Sports Who Don't Get Paid Nearly Enough
When most people think about sports salaries, they think about Andrew Luck's $23.3 million per season or LeBron James' new $100 million contract. But the fact is, it takes a lot of people performing many functions to make the sports world go 'round.
And yes, many athletes, coaches and executives pull in serious cash—hella serious. But for some sports professionals, the compensation does not seem to measure up to the work folks put in.
There is a lot of money in sports, and the fact that most minor league baseball players don't approach minimum wage seems, well, wrong. For the following 10 sports jobs, specific salary information isn't always available, but some context or at least historical information will be provided regardless.
Given all the money there is to go around, it just seems like these folks deserve more. (Looking at you, bullpen catcher for Aroldis Chapman.)
Special Teams Gunners
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In football, a special teams gunner is just what it sounds like. He is the guy on the kicking team tasked with getting to the punt returner, quickly, and taking him down.
Former gunner Steve Tasker—who played for 12 seasons and made seven Pro Bowls—explained, via Noah Davis of Esquire:
"As a quarterback, you have reads and you're looking to decipher things. As a gunner, it's a lot more creative. You're trying to beat two guys in what amounts to a running street fight at a sprint. You have to get to a spot downfield that hasn't been established yet. The ball's in the air, and you're trying to get down there and find the place to be that hasn't been determined.
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So basically, it's a tough job. And in general, special teams players don't make a ton of moolah compared to their superstar QB compatriots.
In November, Cork Gaines of Business Insider reported the 10 highest-paid long snappers made an average of $1.2 million per year, to give you an idea. Meanwhile, the 10 highest paid QBs averaged $25.5 million.
(Of course, it is possible for a gunner to play another position—Cordarrelle Patterson of the Minnesota Vikings doubles as an offensive player and triples as a kick returner, for example.)
Punters
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Speaking of special teams, the punter is another player who is never going to make the big bucks (compared to other superstars). And, he might even lose his job for pulling in the (comparatively) low salary he does.
Punters don't do any actual scoring or defense of scoring, but their position is critical to the game outcome. In 2015, NFL teams averaged 4.8 punts per game, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com. The punter directly affects field position, which is a key element throughout any game.
The Denver Broncos released veteran punter Britton Colquitt in August after a 2012 extension made him the league's highest-paid punter with an average salary of $3.9 million per year. According to Mike Klis of KUSA, Colquitt's "expensive" salary was part of the reason for his release.
(Disclaimer: The writer is fully aware $3.9 million is a ton of money—just talking in relative terms, here.)
Just ask the Cleveland Browns if kickers are that easily replaceable.
Sparring Partners
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Whatever sparring partners make, it's not enough. They literally just get paid to get beat up all the time (OK, and to fight back, too).
In April 2015, Josh Peter of Boxing Junkie reported Floyd Mayweather Jr. employed nine sparring partners during his training for the Manny Pacquiao fight.
Ricki Brazil, who helped with Mayweather's training, would not disclose how much Money May paid these partners but "with a grin reported that none of them have missed a day of work," wrote Peter.
OK—so maybe guys who spar with a man who posts stuff like this on Instagram get paid well, but even so. It's got to be a brutal job.
Way back in 2005, Dan Rafael of USA Today wrote, "The life of a sparring partner is hard. The work is irregular because it depends on the fighting schedule of the guys who hire you. There is no medical coverage, and the pay is inconsistent. [Boxer Willie] Chapman has worked for as little as $50 a day. The top partners could make a few thousand a week."
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Practice Squad Guys
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Sure, one might think practice squad players aren't paid a lot because they don't play in actual games. That is true, but their job is still vital and intense.
Think about what a player is signing up for with an NFL practice squad. Each team is allowed 10 players on the squad who practice with the team but aren't eligible to be active for games.
Kevin Nogle of The Phinsider explained, "The practice squad is used, typically, to develop a younger player, while also giving the team a group of players who are used to replicate the offense or defense of the upcoming opponent."
According Jeanna Thomas of SB Nation, practice squad players made no less than $6,900 per week in 2016.
It's not peanuts, but it's also probably not a picnic pretending to be any offensive player during a practice with Von Miller.
Bullpen Catchers
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An MLB team's bullpen catcher is not a member of the actual roster—it's a non-playing team position like a coach or groundskeeper.
John Lott of Vice Sports took a look at the daily life of a bullpen catcher, and here's what he found. Duties include: rubbing dirt and spit on baseballs, sorting baseballs, distributing baseballs and, of course, catching baseballs. The Blue Jays go through 37,000 balls during the regular season.
Per Lott, Toronto Blue Jays bullpen catcher Alex Andreopoulos said: "I'm in the big leagues. I don't make the money those guys do, but I don't complain. ... I rub baseballs, catch baseballs, get to hang out with big leaguers. At the end of the day, it's pretty good."
So, bullpen catcher is actually sort of a sweet gig (unless you count the punishing nature of the actual catching position). Then again, doctoring 37,000 baseballs and catching big league fastballs on the reg? Most teams can probably afford to give those guys more than they likely make.
Official Scorers
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In baseball, the official scorer's job might seem easy, but it can actually be quite stressful.
Al Saracevic of the San Francisco Chronicle explained in 2012, "The scorer's primary role is to take the official record of action on the field. Runs, hits, walks, errors. But the primary nexus of controversy centers on whether a struck ball results in a hit or an error."
Obviously, the hit vs. error situation can result in a lot of disagreement, not to mention affect the stats of everyone involved—pitcher, hitter, overall team stats.
Michael Duca, a scorer for the San Francisco Giants, told Saracevic: "We get paid $5 to score the game and $145 to absorb the abuse."
That's right. A buck fifty per game. Now, that was four years ago, so hopefully it's a bit more by now. It should be, given the pressure.
NBA D-League Players
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While minor league baseball players appear to have it the worst in terms of lower tiered pro athletes, NBA D-Leaguers aren't exactly rolling in it.
In January, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reported the "highest D-League salary (not tied to an NBA contract) is $25,000." That's for six months, so not terrible. Still, the NBA is so flush with television cash, the Los Angeles Lakers just gave Timofey Mozgov $64 million.
Now, the D-League and NBA aren't the same thing, and not all NBA teams have a D-League team. Still, D-League President Malcolm Turner had this to say about his league's financial status, per Zillgitt: "At the league level, we're very pleased with where we are financially. At the team level, we have seen increased profitability and growth of the business."
And yet, low salaries could cause players to go overseas instead of staying in the NBA's developmental system.
Turner also said, per Zillgitt: "As we grow, we obviously have additional player rosters to fill. We want to make sure we’re adding more and better talent to the league rather than less. We are taking a look at any and all opportunities to enhance our value proposition for talent."
NFL Cheerleaders
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NFL cheerleaders are also fighting a battle to make minimum wage.
According to Ahiza Garcia of CNN, cheerleaders are considered independent contract workers and therefore are not entitled to certain employment benefits.
In recent years, NFL cheerleaders have filed lawsuits against several teams for low pay. One plaintiff said she was "paid less than $5 an hour after mandatory appearances at events and rehearsals were factored in," per Christopher Zara of the International Business Times.
Four lawsuits were settled, and teams agreed to pay back wages, but they did not admit fault.
Lisa Murray, a former NBA dancer, said, per Zara: "Any organization is going to take advantage of you and exploit you until you've had enough. You have to know your rights and fight for them."
College Athletes
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Alright, this is a bit cheeky, because college athletes aren't paid at all beyond scholarship and stipend. Opinions vary greatly on if they should be able to benefit off the billions they help generate, and it's a complicated issue.
In 2015, the NCAA announced it would allow schools to give student athletes stipends to help cover the cost of attending college beyond tuition and housing.
In December, ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas talked about the subject of compensation with Complex's Maurice Peebles. He said:
"If you're a music student, who's on a full music scholarship, you can apply your trade in any professional sense you want. You're not kicked out of the band. Not kept from performing on campus. Doesn't affect your academic status in any way. You're celebrated for that. If you're an athlete that happens to make the schools in the NCAA machine billions of dollars, then the athletes are told, "You get only your expenses."
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So, there is definitely an argument to be made that college athletes should get more than they currently do.
Minor League Ballplayers
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Given the big-time salaries of MLB players, some fans might be shocked to learn that minor league players don't even approach minimum wage.
According to Bill Baer of NBC Sports, minor leaguers are not represented by a union and often make less than $7,500 per year despite grueling schedules.
The issue has actually drawn the attention of politicians in 2016. In June, congresswoman Cheri Bustos and congressman Brett Guthrie introduced the Save America's Pastime Act, which would have essentially allowed major league teams to continue paying minor leaguers egregiously low salaries. Bustos dropped the bill after heavy backlash.
There is also a class-action lawsuit pending against MLB on the matter.
Per Baer, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told Brendan Kennedy of the Toronto Star: "We're not opposed to [be] paying minor league players any particular wage. What we are opposed to is the imposition of administrative requirements in terms of keeping track of hours and overtime. They're simply impractical in minor league baseball."
Ah yes, paperwork—a great reason to stiff the future of the game.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
