Every day people around the world complain about the salaries of professional athletes. Even though top athletes earn millions of dollars each year, most athletes do not earn more than the average working-class citizen. There are also many risks along with the job, and job security is very unstable. Expenses and taxes also limit the amount of money an athlete earns. Tax rates are extremely high for men and women who participate in professional sports. The salaries of athletes like Rafael Nadal and Drew Brees may seem a little high, but with all the factors taking away their money they aren't that high. Athletes have a huge impact on global, national and local economies. Joel Brandenberger says, “From the professional level to college, high school and elementary school participants, male and female athletes play games that drive revenue for their communities, cities and ultimately their state ". Approximately $14.3 billion annually generates profits from the sports industry. Approximately 456,000 jobs are created by the sports industry with an average income of $39,000 per job (Burrow 1). One state heavily influenced by professional sports is the state of Florida. According to the Florida Sports Foundation, the sports industry in Florida has grown from a $16 billion industry in 1999 to approximately $36 billion over the years (Brandenberger 1). The sport attracts millions of tourists and fans to Florida every year; this allows hotels, restaurants and other businesses to benefit from teams. Over 430,000 jobs have been provided to Floridians by the sports industry. Jobs created by the sports industry include media positions, officials, sales representatives, salespeople and thousands of other direct and...... center of paper ......d Jobs First. Np, nd Web. 22 April 2014. .Saporta, Maria. “Impact Study: Atlanta Braves a $100 Million Home Run for State Economy.” Saporta Report. Np, nd Web. April 22, 2014. Schwartz, Nick. “The average career earnings of athletes in major American sports will shock you.” Detroit Free Press. Np, nd Web. April 22, 2014. “Youth Sports Injury Statistics.” Statistics. Np, nd Web. April 20, 2014. “The 5 Most Devastating Sports Injuries.” Male fitness. Np, nd Web. April 22. 2014. .