Snap Back to Reality

If there's one thing I really hate about athletes, it's the greed characteristic that approximately 98.7% of them possess. Benji, what are you talking about? Well, in a nutshell (there I go with that expression again), tons of athletes make more money in a year than most people make in their lifetime. But, that just isn't good enough for them, so when it comes time for a new contract, not only do they refuse a pay-cut at all costs (pun intended), they demand more money. Oh, and it gets better. If they happen to be performing above expectations or above what they're being paid, they holdout for more money. But what if they perform under expectations or are simply overpaid to begin with? Does that mean that their employers should be able to holdout for a new contract also? No... it means suck it up and deal with it.

So what has prompted me to write about this now? It's funny because I hate the show Jim Rome Is Burning, but decided to watch. First of all, it's not realistic for him to be burning. Second of all, the guy's arrogant, annoying, and is never funny when he tries to be. However, I happened to be watching a segment of the show yesterday (at least I think it was yesterday), and he brought it to my attention that LT (the Chargers version), as of now, is refusing to play for the Chargers next season under a pay cut. This got me thinking. What other athletes can be thrown into this same boat? The two that immediately came to my mind are of course both former Yankees, in Bobby Abreu and Johnny Damon. The list goes on and on, but for the sake of time, I'm going to stick to discussing LT, and just point out that the complaint I have about him can be applied to tons of other athletes.

LT: C'mon man. What bothers me the most about you being in this situation is that you're supposed to be one of the classiest guys in the NFL, but you're proving that no matter how classy a person we're dealing with, money will almost always take priority over class. But let's be real. Three years ago, you were the best back in the league, hands down, and the MVP of the league for that matter. So, yes, you EARNED the big bucks. You spoke with your play on the field. But now? Sorry, but like what happened to other FORMER star backs such as Shaun Alexander and Edgerin James, once you hit 30, your career began tumbling downhill. You WERE a star, but are no longer one. I hate to say it, but I'll go one step further and say that I'm not even sure if you're starting material anymore. The reality is that you're paid for the body of work that you're currently doing, not what you did three years ago. It's crazy to expect the Chargers to pay you at the same rate. You've gone from the best back in the league to just any other back. What perhaps bothers me even more than you thinking you still deserve top dollar is that you're going so far out of your way to get them. You made more money this season, let alone in your entire career, than 98% of people make in a lifetime. Think about people around the world who work in atrocious conditions all day just to be able to afford dinner. Think about the catastrophe that just struck Haiti. I'm sure those people would love to have a fraction of the money you have so that they can pay for their medical bills. Sorry if I'm getting carried away but it just really irks me when athletes egos and pride get in the way of reasonable morals and values.

So, going back to LT and any other athlete that this can be applied to, take your millions and deal with the "tough" life. There's billions of people around the world that would do anything to trade places with you, so when it comes time to taking you're next pay cut, and you're down to only $5M a year, try to realize that it could be worse, believe it or not. It's time to snap back to reality.