Floyd Mayweather made $350 million for a fight that lasted 27 minutes, which works out to about $700 million/hour. Obviously, that 27 minutes was the culmination of a lifetime of practice and dedication to the sport, but it deals a blow to the notion that there is systemic racism in America against blacks.
Of course, the left will argue that he is just an outlier and that both the median and mean wage for blacks is still lower than for whites. All of this is true. But in agreement with the post I made a few days ago, such disparity is not because of racism, but rather due to economic value. Mayweather makes millions because so many people pay to watch him fight: basic supply and demand.
And second, why aren’t liberals complaining about the fact that Asians earn slightly more than whites? Why would these employers, if they are so racist, favor Asians over whites?
Consider the Winter Olympics, which tends to be dominated by white athletes. The entire prize winnings of all the athletes (and also endorsements and other stuff) probably amounts to no more more than a few seconds of a Mayweather fight. Boxing, basketball, football, tennis, and golf are spectator sports that require a degree of finesse and strategy, which is why so many people enjoy watching them. Although the Olympics require world-class athleticism, the economics don’t lead to big paydays for the athletes (unless you are Usain Bolt (who is black) or Michael Phelps).
Consider the racial makeup of professional sports:
According to VICE, “African-American males are only six percent of the United States population, but comprise nearly 70 percent of the players in the National Football League.”
NBA in 2015 was composed of 74.4 percent black players, 23.3 percent white players, 1.8 percent Latino players, and 0.2 percent Asian players.
Yet something like 90-95% of all pro powerlifters are white. But unlike NBA and NFL players, probably no powerlifter has ever bought a mansion with his earnings. Although top strongman competitors probably make a decent amount of money, it pales in comparison to top MLB, NFL, and NBA players (or even average players). It would seem like white people are being discriminated against. Why don’t people complain about the white-powerlifter black-NBA player wealth gap.
Economics, not discrimination, explains the pay discrepancy. But looking at data superficially without the proper context can lead to erroneous conclusions.