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Comment by yardie | Hacker News Reader

The minimum salary in the NFL is currently $450,000. The "job" is unionised and you have lifetime benefits (negotiated after some players with chronic concussion related illnesses were found broke and homeless).

While the careers are short the compensation is fair. And you are legally allowed to work a side job, i.e. sponsorships.

I don't imagine corporate USA saying yes to high salaries, unionisation, pensions, nor side projects willingly.

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They also have "job security" for the duration of the contract and if they are "fired" as we traditionally understand it usually they have to be compensated in some form (although it depends on the contract).

Sadly that is not that case. The contract is per game. If they are cut midseason they forfeit the contract. NFL contracts are really nasty things. Most of the big valuations you see will probably never pay out. They can backload them so that a player with a 5 year $10mm contract will probably never see that amount. They'll get $1mm the first year, and the same for each year, with the remaining $5mm paid out at the end. If they don't make it that far they don't get it. It's not unheard of for a player to make it 50% of their time on contract and only see 20% of their pay.

I only know this because I have a family member who plays professionally. The NFL likes to present an image that they take care of their players. It's a business to make money (and a not-for-profit) and exists only to enrich themselves. If they can short a player out of his money they will do it.

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