I cringe whenever I hear people say that athletes or actors or whatever are "overpayed." This is said by people who have no understanding of the most basic parts of economics or capitalism, or are socialist/communist.
Ok, so there is a company/organization called, say, the Pittsburgh Steelers. They sell products. They also have media contracts. Sports teams and leagues negotiate each year with local, cable, and TV networks to carry their games. Local TV contracts can be up to $100 million or more depending on the market, and national league contracts are in the billions. Teams also generate millions in revenue from sales of hats, shirts, DVDs, and hosts of other things.
Where does this money come from? YOU. When you watch a game or buy something with a team's logo on it you are giving your money to the team. They then pay their players from the money pie and the pie is very large. The money doesn't magically come out of thin air or from the government (at least not yet). The players are rich because you made them that way by spending billions on memorabilia and hats. You demanded entertainment, they supplied. Supply & demand - capitalism at is most basic level. If you don't want them to be rich, stop buying their products. Otherwise, you really don't have a right to complain.
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