Politics is filled with firsts.

There’s Barack Obama, a man who is on the verge of becoming the first black president of the United States, Hillary Clinton who is attempting to be the first female president of the U.S., John McCain who could be the first president who was born outside the country and Gerald Ford who in 1974 became the first successful football player to become president, having played for Michigan.

But could any of these leaders top Lebron James, who hopes to one day become the first $1 billion athlete?

The 2003 first-round draft pick for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the then 19-year-old James, signed a $90 million endorsement contract with Nike, which dwarfed his three-year, $12.96 million rookie contract. James was worth $100 million before ever stepping onto an NBA court.

Or, turn your eyes to New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who just signed a 10-year, $275 million contract. Add $30 million more if he breaks the all-time home run record of 762, which he needs just 245 more to do. That’s $87,000 per home run.

Can someone say excessive?

Is one home run from A-Rod worth $87,000? Most Americans don’t make that much money in a year.

Why do athletes make so much money? Are the skills and entertainment values they bring to the world really worth it?

Sports have an entertainment value that is important for society. Without sports, movies, television, etc., life would be pretty boring. But athletes shouldn’t be paid the big bucks.

While athletes are the ones in front of the camera, the true backbone of sports are those behind the camera involved in the operations of a sporting event, from the ticket sales representatives all the way up to the owners of a team. Without those people, professional sport games would not go on. How did those people get to where they are?

One word: Education.

And who educated these fine men and women?

Teachers.

From kindergarten to college and beyond, the teacher is the most important part of society. Without education and teachers, we would all be stupid and back in the Stone Age. Some could argue that we are just as stupid with an education, but that’s for another time and another place.

Yet, there is not one teacher who is paid $87,000 for each student he or she passes. No grade school teacher is making millions. There are no Five Star Notebook endorsements for your Binghamton University professor.

I ask you, why?

If you are successful in life, you probably got there because of your education, unless you are a professional athlete, in which case it was your athletic skills. You were educated by bright teachers. Is the educational value of the teacher not worth millions like the entertainment value of an athlete?

That’s why many young children want to be professional athletes. It’s a sad reality that many children spend more time working on their athletic skills in hopes of a better tomorrow than working on their educational skills. After all, who wouldn’t want to make millions playing a sport? The incentives to be a teacher are nothing compared to the incentives to be a professional athlete.

What is happening to mankind?