Athletes, Performance Bonus, & Teacher's Salaries

In the final seconds of the last regular season NFL game between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco, with the Seahawks up by three with the ball, it might have been expected that a simple running play or a kneel-down to run out the clock would have been the call. And it was. At least that's what the coaches wanted. However, quarterback Russell Wilson changed the play in the huddle, and called for a pass to receiver David Moore. It was a completely inconsequential play for everyone on the field -- everyone except Moore. For him, it was a $100,000 play.

That was his payoff for catching his 35th pass and reaching a performance bonus in his contract.

Apparently, some people, including a few morning deejays in Denver today, are upset about Wilson's choice. That's just ridiculous. There is nothing wrong with using these pointless plays at the end to help someone complete his contract and earn his money. Why should the team just kneel down? That "run-the-clock-out" standard that the NFL requires teams to finish out the clock with purposeless plays is silly anyway, and there is no reason the team should kneel or run a worthless run play either. And that money is there for players to earn - which David Moore did. He caught the ball. That's his job. And this practice is not that uncommon. It happens every year, and Tom Brady did the same thing for his receiver this week. 

And that brings me to teachers' salaries -- because whenever there is an issue with athletes making large amounts of money, people make absurd comments about how they shouldn't make that much money because their jobs are just entertainment, and teachers by contrast should be making millions. That's nonsense, and to claim so reveals an ignorance of basic economics. The athletes and entertainers receive huge salaries because their jobs generate huge revenue. And they deserve their share of it. Teachers don't generate massive ticket sales, apparel income, and ad revenue. They don't generate huge revenue, so they don't earn huge salaries.

It's that simple. Stop whining and be happy for David Moore.