I’ve always wondered why athletes and actors salaries are made public.  I can understand why a CEO and other executive board members' salaries compensation are a matter of public record since they are part of companies that have to report to shareholders.  With few exceptions, teams are not publicly traded companies or parts of corporate conglomerates.

Now that athletes, more so than a few big name actors, have average salaries that reach into the stratosphere, maybe it’s best not to publish those numbers.  All I know is it causes me consternation and just agitates me that a useless profession like a pro athlete can be in the top ½ of 1 percent of all wage earners worldwide. 

About the only profession that tops these guys are hedge fund managers and other Wall Street executives and various technology heads.  By no means do I begrudge these athletes the money they make – it’s a free market and if someone is going to pay them that ridiculous amount, more power to them.  Do I think they’ve earned their money when compared to actual smart people like Bill Gates and Larry Ellison or the Google Twins?  Hell no.

When an athlete either holds out in a contract dispute or attempts to renegotiate an already disgustingly rich contract, it sends me into an Anger Orbit when a multimillionaire holds out for more millions.  I’d rather not know their salary and be blissfully ignorant.  This isn’t like the current writers strike where a lot of those people live from paycheck to paycheck.  Them going on strike actually hits them in the pocketbook.

I compare the public salary knowledge to the additional “convenience charge” that Ticketmaster piles on top of the price of a ticket, sometimes adding 20 percent to the advertised price.  I’d rather them simply incorporate those BS fees into the actual price.  To me, if I see an even costs $75, then it should be $75 (taxes included).  It shouldn’t be a $75 base price which then they pile $10-$20 on top of that price for the Ticketmaster fees.  Maybe I would have less of a problem with those tacked-on fees if they labeled them on my invoice as a Pure Profit For Ticketmaster Fee.

I never really bought into the premise that ignorance is bliss, at least for adults, but maybe for certain topics like athletes’ salaries it would be best we don’t know how much they make.  I need to make one exception and that is for golf and tennis athletes.  They’re in a profession where, like sales, you aren’t paid well unless you perform well.  Tiger Woods and Roger Federer have earned every damn penny they’ve made and I hope they continue to make ridiculous money as long as they can.