Ezra Gingerich
Regent University
ECON 120
Dr. Brian Baugus
November 27, 2021
A topic I enjoyed learning in this class was absolute vs. comparative advantages. One way to understand this is by looking at Patrick Mahomes, the G.O.A.T. NFL player--the shining star from Kansas City, Missouri (not Kansas. I am looking at you, Donald Trump). Imagine Mahomes, being the legend he is, is the world's best builder of Big Macs. McDonald's, naturally, would be delighted to have him create these masterpieces in one of their kitchens throughout the world. Considering Mahomes has an absolute advantage in Big Mac creation, does this mean it would be wise for him to hang up his beautiful red and gold jersey and flip burgers? Of course not. It would obviously be very foolish for him to do so, considering he has signed the largest contract in NFL history, netting about $45 million per year till 2031. Mahomes may have a comparative advantage in playing football (give him a few years, and that will become an absolute advantage) whereas he has an absolute advantage in the creation of Big Macs, but it is still far more profitable for him to play football.
Works Cited
Cowen, T., & Tabarrok, A. (2017). Modern principles of economics (Fourth ed.). Worth Publishers.