To the next president

An average professional athlete earns about $2.5 Million dollars a year while veterans that were willing to give their lives fighting for their country, earning plenty less than a pro athlete.

Pro athletes train hard and practice everyday possible to do what they have enjoyed to do for their whole life. They play many seasons of their sport until they feel they are getting too old for it. My goal in life has always been to make it to the NFL so I can support my family in some of the struggles we suffer. About a year ago I realized that the kind of people that I look up to and I want to become earn more money than people who offer their lives to keep our country safe. As a young student and athlete, I have a very big goal, but if I were to make it there I shouldn't be earning more money than a veteran soldier. They need to be paid more than pro athletes. J.J. Watt is a professional defensive end on the Houston Texans for the NFL. According to spotrac.com, J.J. Watt signed a 6 year $100,005,425 contract with the Houston Texans, including a $10,000,000 signing bonus, $51,876,000 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $16,667,571. This proves the amount of money earned from a person going and making tackles on a field for a living, is way more than a person carrying a gun protecting our country and our president.

Like Pro athletes, the military trains very hard every single day until they receive a mission to go and complete. Veteransunited.com states that veterans that have children and a spouse get about $3,187.60 and veteran alone gets about $1,059.09. I have had family members join and members that are going to go soon and it is tough to let them go not knowing if they'll ever come back, but if they were to come back I would want them to be given more than just a medal and a thanks, if pro athletes earn billions of dollars for running around and possibly getting hurt, veterans should be making more because they sacrifice their lives to help our country.

I can understand that the U.S. is struggling with money and is in debt but just realize they put their lives at stake to save the country and you as the president. You may like sports and love to watch it, trust me I know how you feel, but it's a thought that I really believe should be thought of and you're the only person that can change this. So it's up to you to think it through, what do you think.

By: Jeramiah Davis

From Queensbury NY