America believes in education: the average professor earns more

Hear the sharp wit of Evan Esar, who declared with irony: “America believes in education: the average professor earns more money in a year than a professional athlete earns in a whole week.” In these words lies both humor and rebuke, for beneath the jest is revealed a painful truth about the values of a nation—that the guardians of wisdom are prized less than the entertainers of crowds.

The professor, keeper of knowledge and shaper of minds, devotes years to study, sacrifice, and service. From his labor springs invention, discovery, and the cultivation of future generations. He carries the torch of education, ensuring that the flame of wisdom is never extinguished. Yet his reward is meager, stretched thin across the span of a year, while the world often passes him by in silence.

The athlete, by contrast, is elevated like a hero of old. His speed, strength, and spectacle draw multitudes, and in the roaring of the arena he gathers wealth in torrents. In a single week, he may receive what the professor earns in a whole year. Esar’s irony pierces here—if America truly “believes” in education, why is the teacher poor while the athlete prospers?

This is no attack upon the athlete, for his skill, too, is a gift, and the ancients themselves honored the games. Yet the wisdom of the saying lies in proportion: a society reveals its soul by what it rewards. If knowledge is cherished, the teacher should stand honored; if entertainment rules, then the crowd will shout for the athlete and forget the scholar.

Thus let this teaching be remembered: honor those who guard the mind as much as those who strengthen the body. For when the roar of the stadium fades, it is the professor’s wisdom that endures, shaping leaders, guiding nations, and lifting mankind higher. Esar, with humor as his weapon, speaks a truth that should awaken generations: a people who prize spectacle above wisdom risk building their future upon sand.