Post by TheShadow on Feb 25, 2009 5:23:04 GMT -5
bleacherreport.com/
by Gabe Mambo
Tell me if I’m wrong here when I say this. We are told in life that we have to work hard to receive rewards. This idea is stressed through the education system, where a 4.0 grade point average and a thousand academic achievements will get us a ticket to an Ivy League school like Harvard or Princeton.
If we do well in our jobs, then we get a promotion for what we have done. If we do our chores, we receive our allowances for showing responsibility. In life, we’re told that we’re supposed to work to earn our dues.
And that’s where I’m confused.
I can admire my family physician for her excellent work ethic and difficult path to her $200,000+ salary. She had to go through eight years of college to learn her trade, and probably had to work her way to becoming a trusted doctor in the community.
My physician earned her $200,000 salary, and the rest of working America has probably earned their own current salaries. But, I can’t say the same for a first round NFL draft pick fresh out of college who demands for millions of dollars before he even steps on the football field.
In professional sports, salaries can be high. I clearly understand that. Professionals are supposed to be paid a tad bit high, because they’re one of few people who can do well in their job.
Kevin Garnett is the highest paid player in basketball with $24 million dollars to his name. I’m not going to criticize that as long as the Boston Celtics can afford to pay him and maintain the rest of their roster.
Kevin Garnett is a former league MVP, and was the heart of their championship team from last year. He worked hard to earn every single cent of that fat paycheck. He could have chosen modesty over money, but decided to get what he deserved. I can’t beef with KG, folks.
I do, however, have a problem with rookie contracts.
Rookies seem to demand a huge load of money before proving that they are worthy of such incentives. JaMarcus Russell of the Oakland Raiders signed a contract worth $61 million, with $29 million of it guaranteed. And he didn’t set a single foot on the gridiron yet. How is it that an unproven player is given a contract worth that of an All-Pro superstar?
Peyton Manning is paid $14.17 million a year as of late, but at least he earned his stripes. Last time I checked, this man just finished up his third MVP season. Russell has tons of potential in my eyes, but he’s yet to prove that he’s the cornerstone player of the Raiders franchise.
As a matter of fact, he’s yet to prove that he can help the Raiders win more than five games! JaMarcus only started four games his rookie season behind Daunte Culpepper, and instead of giving Raiders fans a glimpse of a potential winning season for next year, he enshrouded them into a field of doubt.
What in the world did he have to prove for it? Nothing...except $61 million, $29 million guaranteed.
The ridiculous amounts of cash that rookies get aren’t limited to the negotiated playing contract. I have an itch or two with endorsement deals that happen. LeBron James, a clear star for years to come, had $135 million in endorsement deals.
He was being paid over $4 million during his rookie season, but before he even stepped on the court, he had a $100 million deal with Coca-Cola! I love the kid just as much as anyone else, especially since LeBron has proven himself to be beyond the hype, but c’mon! What if he gets injured, or was another Kwame Brown?!
Then companies were wasting their time, and money trying to get deals with young studs yet to earn their stripes. But hey, Coca-Cola and Nike (Who signed a $90 million deal with James) can pull out at anytime.
Sports franchises on the other hand can pull out only after realizing that their first round pick wasn’t worth the dough he was signed for. Teams invest so much money into their “future stars” only to find out that they weren’t that in the first place.
Rookies need to start thinking more about earning their place of fame in the game than demanding that it’s handed over to them. Players such as Peyton Manning, Kevin Garnett, and Derek Jeter earned their multi-million dollar salaries because they decided to sweat for it.
If a rookie demands the treatment of a veteran in his prime, then that rookie should just get up, turn around, and leave the General Manager’s office. He can come back when he says “Yeah, I’ll take a million now, and demand more when I average 20 points a game.”
If rookies could grow up when trying to get a contract, then they could probably always become the big superstar they’re hyped up to be.