Athletes aren't comparable to the CEO in this situation. Athlete pay (at least for athletes who are paid by an owner and not mostly from prize money) isn't rea

Athletes aren't comparable to the CEO in this situation. Athlete pay (at least for athletes who are paid by an owner and not mostly from prize money) isn't really tied to winning or losing, but is largely defined by collectively bargained negotiations, based on how much the league brings in. You also have guys like Bryce Harper who, even when he goes 0-for-3, will earn their keep in other ways, like getting people to watch games on TV which increases rights fees & ad rates, selling tickets to games where people spend money on parking and beer or jersey sales: https://www.mlb.com/news/bryce-harper-sets-pro-sports-jersey-sale-record https://www.mlb.com/news/bryce-harper-sets-pro-sports-jersey... In short, athletes get paid a lot because they know how much money their bosses are making from their labor and have collectively bargained to get their fair share.