Do the Rich Always Have to Keep Getting Richer?

These days, it’s impossible to separate professional sports from money. Sure, players may say that they suit up for the love of the game, but all those zeroes on their paychecks certainly don’t hurt. And, of course, now that many college athletes get paid – legally, mind you, and not with under-the-table tattoos or cars or fast-food bags full of cash – money is now inextricably linked to nearly everything sports-related.

This is why it was fascinating to learn that for the last 25 years, golfers playing for the U.S. Ryder Cup team haven’t gotten paid for their involvement. Instead, they have each received $200,000 to give to the charity of their choice. When this arrangement was first put into place back in 1999, it created some controversy, with Ben Crenshaw saying that members should be willing and eager to represent their country without needing any financial enticement.

Others weren’t so convinced, and Tiger Woods was, perhaps unsurprisingly, among them. Despite a net worth at the time of around $100 million, Woods said “It’s not greed,” wanting to be paid, adding that players would – or at least could – use the money earned for charitable purposes.

Fast-forward to 2025, and although he’s not on the team, Woods may be happy to know that things have changed. Members now each get a cool half a million, which includes a $200,000 stipend that they can do with what they please. Some – including Scottie Scheffler – did say they’d donate it all to charities anyway (though perhaps first they should spring for some ties and dress shoes).

While it is not very noteworthy for pro athletes to get compensated for what they do, what’s interesting in this case is the fact that the guys on the European team aren’t getting paid anything – not a shilling, euro, or krone (Scandinavian moolah) to don plaid pants and hit balls into holes. They’ve apparently embraced Crenshaw’s sentiments. Said team captain Luke Donald:

“I talked to the 12 guys in Rome when it looked like the U.S. were going to do something different with payments and, you know, every one of them was just like, ‘We don’t want to — this isn’t a week to get paid.'”

This all raises an interesting question: Should athletes always get paid – or, in certain circumstances, get paid more – to perform? What about if those guys (or gals) are already getting hefty salaries? How about if it’s for charity? (Though in this instance, Kawhi Leonard would probably find a way to get paid and not show up.)

Speaking of the NBA, in 2023, the league introduced its in-season tournament – now called the Emirates NBA Cup – in an attempt to create some early buzz, as, let’s face it, most people don’t really start paying attention until Christmas. Other than the “championship” game, every contest just counts as a regular-season game. But here’s the kicker: Players get extra money. Even just making the quarterfinals earn them an additional $50,000. While money is usually a great incentive, how motivating can it be when even the guy at the far end of the bench is making somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 million per year?

It should be noted that the WNBA has its own in-season tournament, but in this one, only the winning team gets money, and everybody has to split the $500,000 purse. The title winners in the NBA also get $500,000, but there’s no sharing involved. And if you’re interested, the average salary in the WNBA is about $100,000. It’s just a tad more in the NBA: $14 million. Food for thought.

However you feel about exorbitant salaries, it’s hard to argue that players shouldn’t be rewarded for excellence. Making the MLB All-Star team, for example, should warrant a bonus. But should agreeing to be mic’d up for the game? Guys who did that got $15,000. And what about participating in the glorified batting practice known as the Home Run Derby? All contestants got $150,000, with the winner taking home $1 million.

Now, nobody should be begrudged for wanting to make money, and this is particularly true for things that don’t require them to go above and beyond what they already do. If your boss asked you to wear a mic while you worked to add 15 G’s to your paycheck, how fast would you accept? Heck, I’d do it for $15. But when somebody is already a multi-millionaire and they’re out there playing games many of us play for free on the weekends, the optics of padded bankrolls just aren’t great.

It’s naïve to think that we will ever go back to the days of lower sports salaries. In the NFL and MLB (and soon in the NBA), certain players make over $1 million – or quite a bit more – every time they hit the field. But, if there’s one thing we can learn from the European Ryder Cup team – other than the fact that Tommy Fleetwood looks like he should be in a movie in which he helps Reese Witherspoon rediscover love – is that maybe athletes don’t always have to demand or even expect to be paid for absolutely everything they do.