No. Sports teams have been in the news recently in a negative way. First, last Fall, the San Francisco Giants reportedly reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) to pay 74 employees (including clubhouse assistants and managers) over $544,000 in unpaid wages. The DOL alleged that some employees were working 12-15 hours per day for only $55 per day, which results in earnings per hour that are less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25. See www.sirote.com
In addition, the DOL is reportedly investigating the Oakland Raiders after a cheerleader sued them for failing to pay minimum wages. After factoring in that the cheerleaders had to attend 10 home games, attend rehearsals, a swimsuit photo session, and 10 charity events per year, their hourly wage allegedly came to less than $5.00/hour based on the $1,250 they are paid each season. See www.al.com
More recently, baseball minor league players filed a lawsuit in federal court arguing that most of them earn less than $7,500 for an entire season, in violation of state and federal wage laws. See www.courthousenews.com