“We must never forget why we have, and why we need our military. Our armed forces exist solely to ensure our nation is safe, so that each and every one of us can sleep soundly at night, knowing we have guardians at the gate.” - Allen West. Soldiers enrolled in the military willingly risk their lives everyday so that they can protect the great country American’s freely live in. You would think that these soldiers would be rewarded for their heroic acts when in reality they are barely given enough salary to support their own families. In contrast, a professional athlete’s enormous salary is unjustified compared to a soldiers salary because the men and women risking everything in their life to fight for the country they love shouldn’t have to worry about the financial stability of themselves and their family or their mental health.

When you compare a soldiers salary to a pro athlete’s you immediately notice a drastic difference. According to todaysmilitary.com the starting salary for a first pick NBA rookie is $4,286,000. Believe it or not this is around 153 times the starting salary of a military officer in America which is 28,000 dollars. Anyone in the NBA or any other professional sports league has money to last lifetimes and their friends and family are also set if they’re generous enough to share a little. However, this isn’t the case if you’re in the military, starting out in this workforce is very difficult to anyone who has a family. Most soldiers give all the money they make to their families and sometimes this isn’t enough for them to get the life they deserve. “NBA players give millions of viewers entertainment every game they play but there are millions of soldiers, men and women, serving our country everyday doing a job that is more dangerous” and means more to the country as a whole. (Parizek) A soldier’s salary doesn’t begin to compare to a pro athlete’s pay which is completely unjustified and needs to be changed.

Most people in the United Sates don’t know what it takes to become a soldier, if you think you just sign up and head off to war then you’re wrong. Don’t get me wrong, I know it isn’t easy to make it as a professional athlete but in the long run who are they really benefiting? The rigorous training before the war tests all men and women and pushes them to their limit just to see if they're ready for the real thing. If you do succeed in making it to the field then you are tested every day mentally and physically. I don’t think the average person truly understands the toll war takes on soldiers and they don’t think about what goes on behind the scenes. When you take a closer look into the daily life of an American hero you begin to realize the death and loss soldiers see everyday and how these tragedies affect them when they return home. Studies in late 2014 show that “at least 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have PTSD and/or Depression.” This number may not seem that significant to the common eye but just remember this number includes male and female soldiers [that] age [from] 18 years or older returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.” (Veterans Statistics) There are people that aren’t even old enough to drink yet that sacrifice everything and what do they get in return? PTSD and not enough money to treat it while supporting themselves. When you compare these number to a pro athlete… well there’s nothing to compare. No professional athlete has ever played in a game then come home and suffered from PTSD. This is because nothing an athlete does compares to the daily life of a person defending our country. Even though there is nothing we could do to repay our soldiers for the sacrifices they make for our country we could at least raise their salary to insure them that they won’t have to worry about their mental health and will have enough savings to see a psychologist if they need to.

Some people say that athletes should get paid more because when it’s all said and done they are the one’s giving Americans the entertainment they love. I agree that athletes provide entertainment and I’m not going to lie I love watching sports but at the end of the day nobody could peacefully enjoy this entertainment if they weren’t protected by the military. The military's “primary mission is to defend the U.S. and U.S. interests” and if the military wasn’t defending America, nobody would be safe which means nobody could do the things they love including sports. In reality our nation’s safety allows us to do everything in life and the people protecting should get the money they deserve because they matter more than any sport or entertainment program.
In closing, the salary given to a military officer is no where near what they deserve and this is a solid example of injustice in the world today. A professional athlete provides entertainment to millions of people but without the millions of soldiers fighting this wouldn’t even be possible. People need to understand how incredible our military officers are and that they sacrifice their entire lives to protect fellow Americans. Pro athletes outrageous salaries are completely unjustified because what they do doesn’t begin to compare to what a soldier has to go through in their lifetime. The courageous men and women in the military fight for us everyday and I think it’s time we start fighting for them and their well being.

"Are Professional Athletes Paid Too Much?: Military vs. NBA Salary." Are Professional Athletes Paid Too Much?: Military vs. NBA Salary. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. .

"Compensation Estimator." Today's Military. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. .

"Veterans Statistics: PTSD, Depression, TBI, Suicide." Veterans PTSD Statistics. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. .

"What Does the Military Do?" Military.com. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. .