by sussexpob » Wed Aug 10, 2022 10:51 am
To put Wagner's wage into perspective, he earns below the pure average wage in NZ by some distance, and thats before you consider relative industries and qualifications (a world renowned operator in any other industry would expect way over average based on qualifications). Minimum wage based on a full time contract and legal holiday premium is about 54,000NZD a year, and the living wage is slightly higher than that. Wagner earns 85,000....
The equivalent in the UK comparing his wage to the minimum salary means he earns about £12.10 an hour. If we were to consider the fact his work means he is technically required to travel for months on end working, the real working hours to wage here is pretty tragic. Many educated NZ players would be better off getting an office job and earning better money with far less stress and hours involved.
Of course, its difficult to pin point earnings/cost of living (which is higher in NZ but the average wage is also higher) in comparison, but in short, these types of players are earning peanuts for the type of risks and status they have.
Players who have played for years for NZ have paid their dues over and over, and criticizing them for wanting more financial gains or returns is just madness. These players deserve to be paid as their quality defines in an open global market, so fair play to any of them that do so.
A cricket career also can end at any point. For players who have no other academic qualifications, this is not money that keeps you going into later life, its money that is barely capable of carving out things like owning a simple house in the big cities.
Obviously in reality, a quality player will get match fees/sponsorships etc, but that is all factor dependant (fitness, form, etc).... and cant really be classed as a guaranteed earning.
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