The Punch Heard Around the World

The highest-paid neurosurgeon in the United States makes around $500,000 a year. Their education takes between 14 to 16 years, which means they are well into their 20s when they start working, and they probably won’t be making anywhere near $500,000 until they reach their forties. The average salary of a professional soccer player is 3 million a year, and they’ll be making that sum before their mid-twenties. Is this gap unfair? After all, professional athletes don’t save lives as surgeons do. They don’t have to study for decades, get into school debt, or spend any sleepless nights during residency. The reason behind this difference is a combination of factors, and as with most things in the modern economic system, we have to take supply and demand into consideration.