Significant Income Inequality in the NFL, Too

According to data from the IRS (presented here by the Tax Foundation), the top 25% of U.S. taxpayers earned 67.5% of total income in 2005 (most recent year available), and that group paid 86% of all income taxes paid.

In the media coverage and in the political commentary on rising income inequality and the "disappearing middle class," much more attention is paid to the disproportionate income share of the richest quarter of Americans (67.5%) than the disproportionate share of taxes paid by that group (86%).

But how does income inequality in the National Football, where the aveage salary is about $1,000,000, compare to the income inequality in the general population? Using this USA Today 2006 salary database for the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL, the chart above shows the significant income inequality for a selected group of NFL teams (the 4 teams with the highest overall payrolls).

Interestingly, the pattern of income distribution in the NFL is strikingly similar to the income inequality of the general population, and is actually slightly greater in the NFL (at least for these 4 teams). For example, the incomes of the top 25% of the players on the 4 teams above are paid between 71% and 77% of the total payroll.

As I mentioned in one my very first CD posts, perhaps this pattern of income distribution is a natural and expected outcome of any extremeley competitive environment where talent is scare, valuable and highly paid, whether it's the NFL or the overall economy.

Consider that Baltimore Ravens' Steve McNair's 2006 salary of $12 million was 106 times the salary of the lowest paid Raven, Ikechuku Ndukwe, who made only $113,325. Isn't that comparison about as meaningless as the comparison between a CEO's salary and the salary of the lowest paid member of the organization?