Most pro athletes earn their pay. Lawyers chasing frivolous lawsuits earn our anger. At least the athlete provides a service.
Most pro athletes don't make millions which is why they go on strike.
Pro athletes earn their pay? $28M+/year to play a game is earning their pay? Part of why they make so much is that their agents negotiate it with teams that are afraid to stand up to those agents, like Drew Rosenhaus. If a team makes Drew leave the table, they risk never talking to another one of his players and that means they have less chance of winning.
Pro athletics is entertainment. Period. It keeps peoples' minds off of their problems for a while but many of those people really should get their act together, IMO. Look at all of the gambling problems. Look at the performance-enhancing drug use and how it ruins people's lives. Look at the athletes who lost control of their lives once they made all of their money. Last week, an NBA player was on the news for being broke, even though he made $87M in his career. Look at all of the athletes who screwed anything that wasn't running away, and many that were.
The go on strike because the union votes for it. There are very few pro athletes making little money. The only way they will make the big bucks is by playing extremely well and/or having a great agent. Look at ticket prices- As bad as the Milwaukee Bucks have been, court-side seats are still $405 each. It's a two-way street- people don't want to pay high ticket prices and owners can't get the great players if they don't have enough revenue.