Most of us believe in some realm beyond our mortal life, a place where we’ll measure our ethereal treasures quite differently than we do in this realm, with those pieces of paper with dead presidents. But, as long as we’re a part of this realm, people tend to have a pretty keen interest in who makes what for the work they do to keep humanity’s train on the track.
I think my local newspaper’s folks will testify that two of the most popular and scrutinized editions each year are the two that list the salaries of those who work in our schools and in our government.
Just as those two newspaper editions are of great interest, with little doubt, so is the annual Parade Magazine edition that comes out around Labor Day, providing details of what people make for their labors. That’s where you’re likely to find salaries that range in the thousands for, say, a social worker or teacher who works trying to help a troubled adolescent navigate some pretty choppy waters, to salaries in the millions for someone like Johnny Depp, who was in the news quite prominently this past spring. For those who follow the comings and goings of the rich and the famous, they were left to wonder in a trial that pitted Depp against his ex-wife Amber Heard just what kind of lifestyle could he have been leading where he managed to squander almost all of what once was a $650-million net worth.
Long ago, values were placed on the work people did, and the more coveted the skill, the more laborers were compensated. However, as time passed and technology evolved to the point where entertainment took on a more prominent role in our world, something happened. The disparity of salaries of the Hollywood types and so many of our athletes and the rest of us working slugs grew exponentially.
There was a time when professional athletes took jobs in their off-seasons. For example, Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer in 1966 earned $7,500 regular-season dollars and an additional $11,000 bonus for his Orioles winning the World Series over the Dodgers. However, that wasn’t enough to make ends meet, so, following the World Series parade, he took a second job selling suits at a men’s shop in downtown Baltimore for $150 a week. He later recalled the extra money paid for groceries, hot water and electricity.
As for the NFL stars of yesteryear, like Palmer, most worked each off-season, including many on the last championship team of Cleveland’s 1964 Browns. Offensive lineman John Wooten taught junior-high math, premier running back Jimmy Brown was a marketing rep for Pepsi-Cola, and quarterback Frank Ryan, a Ph.D. in mathematics, taught classes at Case Western Reserve, even teaching an in-season 8 a.m. class before heading off for his football work two hours later.
Nowadays, though, there is never a need for professional athletes to look for off-season work. The money made is outrageous and, frankly, quite annoying to this sports-loving working stiff. Top-tier baseball salaries easily top $25 million per year. In pro basketball, the sport’s top stars exceed $40 million a year, such as Golden State’s Steph Curry. He’s not just that guy on commercials trying to get you to buy a Subway sandwich. When he’s not doing that, he’s knocking down $43,333,333 a season knocking down threes. And, when the NFL’s Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes isn’t tossing quips at Jake from State Farm, he’s making $45 million a year tossing passes.
In Hollywood, those who act in our movies and TV shows, sing for us or just talk to us also command such obscene salaries. How about The Rock’s reported 2020 salary of more than $87 million? Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory in the show’s final season in 2019 was making a million dollars per episode. Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon have upped their antes in enticing talent as well. For example, former James Bond Daniel Craig was reported to earn $100 million for making two films. As for singers, just ask Alexa what Taylor Swift’s annual salary is, and get ready for your jaw to drop when you hear $150 million. Even the just-talking folks like Ryan Seacrest, who chops it up with Kelly Ripa on weekdays and also with the judges on American Idol is good for about $10 million a year.
As for what this says about our society, you be the judge. All I know is the question that keeps running through my head is this: Over time, how have we allowed those who merely entertain us to earn at such outrageous levels while those who teach our children, nurse our sick, drive our trucks to deliver our goods, stock our stores’ shelves, fix our leaky pipes and perform so many other essential services, by comparison, earn so little?
Like many rhetorical questions, not only does it not require an answer but, perhaps, there really is no answer.
