In this day-in-age, young kids look up to professional athletes more than anyone, with the exception of maybe their parents. They look up to these athletes not only because they are famous, but on many occasions because of the amount of money they make.

At a time when the economy and the deficit of the country are nearing an all-time low, the salaries of professional athletes continues to rise. Granted, they are a major source of entertainment for millions of fans around the world, but some of the lucrative contracts they receive are just mind-boggling.

These athletes may argue that since taxes are so high, their salaries should be increased because they have to pay more, but what is the government going to do? They cannot take more money out of the blue-collar workers' salaries because many of them have a hard time financing and supporting their own family, so the only logical solution is to take more away from them. Some athletes even have the nerve to turn down a multi-million dollar contract for more money because they have to feed their families! How in the world are you unable to feed your family with millions of dollars per year! Athletes who think like this are beyond greedy, and it sickens me to know that they honestly believe they need more money than they already have. But I do commend those athletes who do not take their great life for granted and give back to those who are in need.

The magnitude of some of their contracts is unbelievable. Kevin Garnett, Alex Rodriguez, Richard Seymour, and David Beckham all lead their respective sports in salaries per year. The oft-injured Seymour makes a surprising $24.5 million a year. Garnett, a perennial all-star and MVP candidate, makes nearly $25 million a year. Rodriguez, the reigning A.L. MVP, makes $28 million a year. And of course there is the ridiculous contract of David Beckham, who signed a 5 year, $250 million dollar deal last year to play soccer for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Even though the best players in their sports usually make the most money, that is not the case for Beckham. After a year of injuries and practically disappearing from the news, he just recently scored his first goal. To say he is underachieving would be an understatement. Just to put into perspective how lucrative some of these contracts are, if you do the math, you will find that Beckham makes $1.58 every second of every day!

What really bugs me is that so many people of our country work just as hard, if not harder, than a lot of these athletes. I know the physical work of many jobs does not measure up to that of being a professional athlete, but they don't work year round. For example, my parents work extremely hard, but only earn a tiny fraction of what these athletes make, as I'm sure is the case with many of you.

If we were to decrease the contracts of these athletes by only a few million dollars, just think of how that could save so many families and reduce the poverty line of our country. Not only would that help people in our country, but it would help those in countries of Africa, such as Uganda, who are facing civil wars and struggling to survive every day. I, for one, am extremely adament about reducing the salaries of these players and using it to make life better for those who desparately need it.

I am not contradicting myself, as I too watch and cheer many of the athletes that earn so much, but I am simply arguing that the money they make is more than what they need, and it really irritates me that they think they should get more money and that they take the wonderful life they are living for granted while other people in the world are struggling so much.

Brian Bliss is a junior at Gaylord High School. He writes a weekly blog for heraldtimes.com.

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