Why do Americans respect pro sportsmen so much?

[Cyclops]

I asked this in another thread but no one responded to that portion of the post.

I don't understand why Americans respect footballers so much. If a recently graduated med student with his certificate in hand and graduation hat on walked on a train with a footballer next to him the footballer would get all the greetings and hand shakes, "Great game on the weekend bro! You really showed em!". It's like everyone has been brain washed.

Being a pro sportsman is basically decided at birth anyway.

[Pain Inflicter]

Thats probably the first time Ive seen the word "footballer"

[MegaHercules]

I asked this in another thread but no one responded to that portion of the post.

I don't understand why Americans respect footballers so much. If a recently graduated med student with his certificate in hand and graduation hat on walked on a train with a footballer next to him the footballer would get all the greetings and hand shakes, "Great game on the weekend bro! You really showed em!". It's like everyone has been brain washed.

Being a pro sportsman is basically decided at birth anyway.

I don't respect them...they are people just like everyone else.

[dts1789]

People love the entertainers. I think the money is the worst thing, you have these people who work day in, day out for hours on end earning an average salary, yet these pro sports players earn millions of dollars simply because they put on a show. There's no justice in that, and anyone that thinks they are actually deserving of all the wealth bestowed upon them, is kidding themselves...

[poolshark472]

Football
Player.

[IraHays]

I

Being a pro sportsman is basically decided at birth anyway.

I hate when people say this crap. Know one gives these guys credit for their motivation and work ethic.

Of the 300,000.000 people in the USA, only a few thousand play professional sports. Do you really that all the professionals are superior athletically then the rest of the population or is there something else besides genetics that sets them apart?

Its also a lot easier to become a doctor then a professional athlete.

[Ismokerocks]

they deserve it because they make the owners 50x as much as they are paid, i hate it as well, but the market decides what they make so its not like someone decides what they make, its what the public decides by whose more popular

[RickRoss]

I asked this in another thread but no one responded to that portion of the post.

I don't understand why Americans respect footballers so much. If a recently graduated med student with his certificate in hand and graduation hat on walked on a train with a footballer next to him the footballer would get all the greetings and hand shakes, "Great game on the weekend bro! You really showed em!". It's like everyone has been brain washed.

Being a pro sportsman is basically decided at birth anyway.

Probably because the med. student has a certificate and not a Ph.D

[Infa]

People appreciate physical toughness and sacrifice more. It kinda relates to the blue collar workers bustin their hump (no homo) for the rest of their lives while the white collar workers get paid copious amounts for not doing nothing (past their college careers)

[Random907]

It's actually quite simple.

More people are aware of the athlete, rather than the doctor.

Most people follow sports very closely and form a disturbingly close connection with the athletes in question. There are people who have grown old, following the same athlete through their career. It's almost like a bizzare stalker-ish connection.

[Malodrax]

I hate when people say this crap. Know one gives these guys credit for their motivation and work ethic.

Of the 300,000.000 people in the USA, only a few thousand play professional sports. Do you really that all the professionals are superior athletically then the rest of the population or is there something else besides genetics that sets them apart?

Its also a lot easier to become a doctor then a professional athlete.

yes i do really believe that all pros are superior athletically than the majority...
Sure they work hard and are determined etc... but without out their superior genetics they're just another regular-run of the mill athlete.

Being a doctor takes alot more hard work than being a pro (GENERALLY)...

[Ismokerocks]

since when was being a doctor harder? you just study all the time, how's that harder than working out 300+ days a year for 6 hours at a time

[FightFan]

I would give Randy Couture respect, because he would put me in 10+ submissions in 5 minutes.

[ImitationofLife]

since when was being a doctor harder? you just study all the time, how's that harder than working out 300+ days a year for 6 hours at a time

Yeah, I'm sure Big Daddy hits the gym hard.

[IraHays]

yes i do really believe that all pros are superior athletically than the majority...
Sure they work hard and are determined etc... but without out their superior genetics they're just another regular-run of the mill athlete.

Being a doctor takes alot more hard work than being a pro (GENERALLY)...

Of course they are superior athletes then most of the country. But think about all the people in this huge country that have the same natural ability but don't have the motivation and drive to put in the hard work.

You could say the same about doctors, they are born smart. So whats the f*cking difference?

There are A LOT more doctors then professional athletes and your going to tell me its harder to become a doctor?

[Cyclops]

Well it seems ridiculous to me that someone can say to a doctor "Oh yeah they just read books all day LoL, anyone can do that." What do you think footballers do all day? But anyway I never said it was harder or easier to become a doctor but some of you guys seem to missing my point... doctors save lives.

Plus I don't see how working hard or doing something difficult automatically deserves a lot of respect. With that reasoning cleaners should be earning the most out of everyone because afterall they wake up at 5am and scrub toilets from 8-5 every day.

It is essentially decided at birth, if an individual had all of the unchangeable features of an average person they wouldn't be able to become a pro in any of the top sports no matter how hard they worked. Their genetics is what separates them from average joes.

[JayKid]

yes i do really believe that all pros are superior athletically than the majority...
Sure they work hard and are determined etc... but without out their superior genetics they're just another regular-run of the mill athlete.

Being a doctor takes alot more hard work than being a pro (GENERALLY)...

I agree with that, anyone who says otherwise is pretty much wrong IMO.

Think about how many athletes train hard and DON'T make it, it's more than those who do, I'm positive of that. What makes the pros go pro than? They are gentically superior.

No, people don't run sub 4.4 (or whatever the fast 40 times are) because they trained hard, they are quick because they were naturall fast. Sure, they trained hard too, but training did more for them than it did for the thousands of other athletes that tried just as hard.

Sure, there are a select few who weren't genetically gifted and just tried hard, but generally, that isn't the case.

Guess what... if you're under 6', you probably can't play basketball. Take that back, if you are under 6'4", you probably can't play basketball. If you are under that, you need to be genetically gifted AND work hard. If you are over that, you are gentically gifted, and you work hard, but it comes a hell of a lot easier.

You wanna be a great QB? Are you under 6'? Well, unless you are the next Michael Vick, you probably won't be seeing over your O-line's shoulders well enough to be good. And being fast is still be genetically gifted, so being the next Vick is probably outta the question as well, regardless of how hard you train.

Wide reciever? Not tall? It's gonna be hard. Not fast? Even harder. Neither? The genetically gifted ones who train will make it, not you.

Now, not all sports are less like this than others, but overall, genetics play a huge role.

[cupcakekid]

Everyone wants to be a pro. We see qualities of ourself in who we admire.

[sdsu28]

People love the entertainers. I think the money is the worst thing, you have these people who work day in, day out for hours on end earning an average salary, yet these pro sports players earn millions of dollars simply because they put on a show. There's no justice in that, and anyone that thinks they are actually deserving of all the wealth bestowed upon them, is kidding themselves...

I agree that average people deserve to get paid more. But there are very very few people that have the talent and ability to be a pro athlete. The fact is they do put on a great show that many of us enjoy. We're not paying their salaries the owners are. Its supply and demand, if the owners weren't making a profit off the public buying jerseys and tv contracts the athletes wouldn't get paid as much as they do. The whole respect thing is a different story, I don't think athletes deserve more respect than the average person, but they are entertainers. Its exciting for many to see their favorite athlete or moviestar in person. I personally think they deserve their salary. Just my 2 cents.

[Dantes wrath]

What about NBA players and OMLB players They are paid in my humble opnion TO ****ING MUCH!!!! Not just football.

[Malodrax]

Of course they are superior athletes then most of the country. But think about all the people in this huge country that have the same natural ability but don't have the motivation and drive to put in the hard work.

You could say the same about doctors, they are born smart. So whats the f*cking difference?

There are A LOT more doctors then professional athletes and your going to tell me its harder to become a doctor?

ofcourse a genetcially superior guy that doesn want/or have motivation is not going to amke it. But to say that pros can be made and not born is just wrong.

I regards to doctors, you don't have to be born really smart to become one... ppl can still be doctors with ALOT of hard work and proper intentions even if they aren't the smartest. Typically an average college student can be a doctor if he works his ass off... and thats just to get in. Then you have to work expometially harder to stay in and get through med school.

There are more doctors than pros, not becuase its easier tpo be a pro, but becuase less % of the population is born with the right stuff to make it in the big leagues, that people born with the bare minumum needed to be a doctor.

Premeds work jsut as hard if not harder to become doctors, than a pre-pro does to become a pro.

[Cyclops]

What about NBA players and OMLB players They are paid in my humble opnion TO ****ING MUCH!!!! Not just football.

I just used footballers as an example.

[Dantes wrath]

I just used footballers as an example.

Its not that good of an example considering that nba players get paid a hell of alot more then NFL players

[IraHays]

ofcourse a genetcially superior guy that doesn want/or have motivation is not going to amke it. But to say that pros can be made and not born is just wrong.

I regards to doctors, you don't have to be born really smart to become one... ppl can still be doctors with ALOT of hard work and proper intentions even if they aren't the smartest.

Why should a doctor of average intelligence get my respect? I don't homo up to minor league baseball players?

I respect the best. Professional athletes are the best. I respect brilliant doctors, not average intelligence doctors.

And there are plenty of professional athletes that are not the fastest or the biggest but bust their asses and make it against the odds. Emmit Smith comes to mind.

And you really don't know what these athletes have to do keep in playing shape, so how can you say its harder then med school?

[Dantes wrath]

ofcourse a genetcially superior guy that doesn want/or have motivation is not going to amke it. But to say that pros can be made and not born is just wrong.

I regards to doctors, you don't have to be born really smart to become one... ppl can still be doctors with ALOT of hard work and proper intentions even if they aren't the smartest. Typically an average college student can be a doctor if he works his ass off... and thats just to get in. Then you have to work expometially harder to stay in and get through med school.

There are more doctors than pros, not becuase its easier tpo be a pro, but becuase less % of the population is born with the right stuff to make it in the big leagues, that people born with the bare minumum needed to be a doctor.

Premeds work jsut as hard if not harder to become doctors, than a pre-pro does to become a pro.

Are you some kinda of moron?
Your dumb.

[ImitationofLife]

They are admired because they amke millions playing a sport most would do for 1/20 of what they make.

[IraHays]

They are admired because they amke millions playing a sport most would do for 1/20 of what they make.

If they didn't make millions we would all have a better shot at making it.

Imagine if soccer players got paid millions in america. We would win the world cup every fricken timer, that would be funny as hell to rub in the worlds face.

They make the money because we are willing to pay. I blame myself.

[Malodrax]

Are you some kinda of moron?
Your dumb.

ohn what an insighful post.

please elaborate genious.

jsut saying you're dumb means **** retard.

[Malodrax]

Why should a doctor of average intelligence get my respect? I don't homo up to minor league baseball players?

I respect the best. Professional athletes are the best. I respect brilliant doctors, not average intelligence doctors.

And there are plenty of professional athletes that are not the fastest or the biggest but bust their asses and make it against the odds. Emmit Smith comes to mind.

And you really don't know what these athletes have to do keep in playing shape, so how can you say its harder then med school?

they should get you'r respect becuase they had to work hella hard to get where they are despite not being in then upper eschelon of intelligence.

Now this is not to say that a genetically gifted athelte doesn't work hard, becuase they do. But the difference is that they make ALOT more money than a doctor will, and large part of it is due to god-given talent

[RickRoss]

Guess what... if you're under 6', you probably can't play basketball. Take that back, if you are under 6'4", you probably can't play basketball. If you are under that, you need to be genetically gifted AND work hard. If you are over that, you are gentically gifted, and you work hard, but it comes a hell of a lot easier.

If you're under 6'4" you're probably a point guard in basketball. Hence you can play basketball.