And this really is the heart of the matter. It is a simple fact that millions of Americans will watch professional baseball games, either at home or in the stadiums. That income is there. In other areas, the egalitarian waxes indignant about labor not getting paid its full product. But not so in baseball.
Sports also emphasize teamwork.
The egalitarian still has objections. He will say that a brain surgeon s income is justified because this defrays the expenses of medical school and the hazards and stresses of brain surgery. If they were not paid so much, fewer people would become brain surgeons. But the same cannot be said for pro athletes. This sort of argument fails to analyze decisions made on the margin .