Comment on Is there a point we can track down when we stopped caring about doctors, nurses, teacher, etc? And thought it was a great idea to pay atheletes millions and screw everyone else?

• Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world ⁨13⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  You really have to split it up. Teachers and nurses have always been paid pretty poorly. They were traditionally female only professions, and expected only to work until married or what not. Or they were nuns, and didn’t get paid directly. Doctors of course, being traditionally male only got paid a lot better. But I agree that for most of human history, professional athletes were just rich peoples kids. They weren’t even getting paid most likely. It would be interesting to try and figure out who the first true professional athlete was. Someone who wasn’t born into money, and actually got paid a living wage.

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• Mongostein@lemmy.ca ⁨14⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  In the CFL (Canadian Football League) the players don’t make more than $100,000/yr generally, and the good ones get scooped up to the NFL.

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• jacksilver@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

  I mean if you back to the Greeks and Roman’s, they also had some big payouts for sporting events.

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  • WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@piefed.world ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    They used those events for military readiness. The skills that the athletes trained for were the same ones needed by soldiers.

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    • Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

      Gladiators were not soldiers. Some were the equivalent of American Wrestling stars.

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      • WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@piefed.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

        I was thinking more about Olympians. The Romans had a standing army so they didn’t need that sort of thing as much.

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  • caseyweederman@lemmy.ca ⁨9⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago

    If you were lucky, you’d get the lion’s share

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