Are Premier League Players Paid Fairly?

If you consider yourself a football fanatic, you probably possess a relatively one-sided view of the age-old argument of whether or not players get paid fairly. If you are unbiased when it comes to football, on the other hand, you may believe that players get paid unfairly and that their salaries should be revised to ensure they fall in line with a number of fluctuating sociological or economic factors.

If you are interested in what the general consensus appears to be when it comes to whether football players, and Premier League players, in particular, are paid fairly, continue reading to find out which factors must be taken into consideration.

The performance on the pitch

In order to assess whether Premier League players are paid fairly or whether they are vastly overpaid, it may be worth taking a look at their performance on the pitch and analysing how their talent matches up to that of footballers that have been firmly placed within a lower league.

It is, after all, common knowledge that a great deal of skill is required to not only play professionally but become a player that competes within the highly coveted Premier League. If a player has spent the vast majority of their life sharpening their skills, standing out from the crowd, and preparing for their global debut, for example, it can be argued that they are deserving of their hefty salary.

In a recent study into the salaries of European football players, however, it was estimated that if Lionel Messi was to be paid based on his skills alone, his salary should be €235,000 when this figure is, in fact, less than half of his weekly wage.

The length of their careers

In addition to the performance of Premier League players on the pitch, it may also be worth taking a look at the length of their careers with time and experience both fundamental factors that usually determine how skilled someone is at their chosen profession and, therefore, how much they are worth to the industry. If you were to research the richest gamblers in the world for example, it could be argued that net worth is a direct result of time and experience as opposed to a one-off win. In the wider football world however, it is a relatively well-known fact that Premier League players only tend to play professionally for a select number of years before retiring.

It can be argued therefore, that they are paid more to make up for their short careers in the spotlight. In the lower leagues, however, up-and-coming players or players that have yet to make it big may be forced to play up to 40 years of age to even come close to earning half of what Premier League players tend to make in a year.

Their contribution to society

When it comes to arguing whether Premier League players are paid fairly, it may also be useful to assess their contribution to society and if this corresponds with the amount of money they are paid on a yearly, or even weekly, basis.

If you are a self-confessed football fanatic, for example, you probably believe that Premier League players are deserving of their salaries because they entertain you and enrich your life on a personal level. If you do not consider yourself to be a football fan, on the other hand, you may believe that other industries or sectors are more deserving of such a salary and that they should be revised to reflect how much of an impact they have on wider society.

It is, for example, generally understood that salaries are affected by supply and demand and that if you bring something to the table that is in high demand but difficult to find, you will be paid fairly. If you possess the same skills and experience as the vast majority of employees in a particular industry or sector, on the other hand, you are unlikely to be paid fairly for your hard work and effort.

In the wider football world, it is also worth noting that if a Premier League player is likely to make a considerable amount of money for the club, their worth will automatically increase.

If you have ever wondered whether Premier League players are paid fairly for their efforts or whether they are vastly overpaid, it may be worth taking a number of factors into consideration. This includes their performance on the pitch, the length of their careers, and their contribution to society.