Maybe because we are a nation addicted to sports. Teachers are not revered anymore even though kids spend the better part of the day with teachers. And I know there are some very good, dedicated teachers out there. Maybe teachers should be consulted as to how to run the schools.

Exactly, sports stars at a pro level are hard to find. Teachers not so much.

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"I swear- by my life and my love of it- that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine"- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the democrats believe every day is April 15. ~ Ronald Reagan

There are good teachers, they deserve good pay. Not on the level of a star athlete can demand though.

Teachers give up their consultation rights to the unions. By choice.

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"I swear- by my life and my love of it- that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine"- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the democrats believe every day is April 15. ~ Ronald Reagan

Nobody that doesn't save the planet or risk his life disarming bombs or some sh*t is worth a million dollars a year.

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People that create value are. Athletes with a name to sell or business that has a product people want.

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"I swear- by my life and my love of it- that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine"- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the democrats believe every day is April 15. ~ Ronald Reagan

Depends on what you value.

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Human beings are inherently unequal. Different skill sets, different areas of intelligence, different work ethic, different motivations...

That being said, our laws must create a level playing field. There must be a uniform starting point or the race in inherently rigged.

I am all for individuals succeeding on the back of their own merits, but I am vehemently against using those merits to change the rules to limit competition.

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The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to permit the conquered Eastern peoples to have arms. History teaches that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by doing so.

-- Hitler, April 11 1942

Anyone who has been in a men's lockerroom and shower knows this.

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Doesn't matter what I value, it matters if I am willing to pay the price for it. If a person sells whatever for a buck and a million people a year buy it bada bing, million bucks a year. Go to work teaching for a year and that pays about 45k because that is what we are willing to pay for it.

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"I swear- by my life and my love of it- that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine"- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the democrats believe every day is April 15. ~ Ronald Reagan

It's true that the value of a thing seems connected to the rarity of it.
Gemstones being an example.
Diamonds don't cost so much because they're objectively superior to any other rock. The attractiveness of diamonds is a matter of opinion; many people prefer other, less costly gems.
Diamonds cost so much because they are so rare.

The massive amounts of money that entertainers, celebrities, pro athletes, famous artists and dancers and musicians and authors make is due to the fact that they have talent- some extraordinary capability, beyond what ordinary folks are capable of.
They are a type of freaks- good freaks. We pay to see and enjoy the freak show.

Arguably, most of them also have a bit of luck and a bit of privilege behind them; talent rarely comes to full fruition without careful nurturing.
In ghettos across America, there are probably dozens of young men who have the potential to be the next Michael Jordan, but will not be, for lack of opportunity.
Most people who are famous for a talent- whether it be athletics, music, dance, art, whatever- have had some professional training. Some mentorship. Some education in their field.
Few if any critically acclaimed writers or artists today do not have college backgrounds. This was not always the case; our culture used to appreciate "primitives"- beat writers like Kerouac, self-taught artists like Anna Mary Robertson Moses.

Nevertheless, not everybody with a college education and a privileged background turns out to be capable of extraordinary feats; not even with luck and mentorship and family connections thrown in for good measure.
Talent is a critical component. It is the seed; all that other stuff- privilege, training, luck- is the soil, the water, the fertilizer, and the sunlight which allow the seed to grow. But sometimes- in very rare cases- a seed can grow into a thriving plant even when deprived of these things. And all the soil, water, and fertilizer in the world won't cause a plant to grow, in the absence of a seed.

So, my point is, natural talent is the most critical component, and not everybody has it. Few people have it. it's rare, and that's why we as a society consider it valuable, even more valuable than more objectively useful jobs- teacher, doctor, soldier, firefighter- which require dedication, bravery, hard work and many other positive attributes.... but which can in fact be done by any average person who brings these ordinary human qualities to the fore. These jobs do not require rare and extraordinary talents.
Therefore, society does not consider them to be worth as much.

Our society pays people what it considers them to be worth, and their unique ability to perform a specific function- pro athlete, artist, musician, whatever- is considered to be worth more than a teacher's or firefighter's positive yet universal qualities. Anybody who musters the courage and compassion and is willing to do the hard work can do these jobs. And they deserve kudos for doing them, because they are useful jobs which allow our society to function.
But they are not considered to be worth as much, monetarily speaking, as an individual who fills a unique role in society, a role that no other person (or few other people) have been born with the capacity to fill.
Because that person is singularly and uniquely qualified to fill that role, they are irreplaceable. When they die, the position dies with them. There will be lots more heroic soldiers and dedicated teachers and nurses, but there will never be another Salvatore Dali or John Steinbeck.
And in short, their rarity is why we're willing to pay them more, even though they may not be as "useful" as doctors or firemen or teachers, from a pragmatic perspective.