So how important is money to you? I hate having to worry about money; having to make decisions based on it. However, money does serve a big purpose in today’s world. It allows you to do all the things that you want to do, like buy a home, provide for your family, and take a vacation. Why is it that we get so upset when the athletes of today make decisions based on money? I have some thoughts.
Athletes today make SO much money. Let’s take the man of the moment, Carmelo Anthony. If he were to come to the Bulls, he would make about $50 million LESS in guaranteed money than if he were to sign back with the Knicks. Wow! But… I’m not sure how I follow up that statement, but I’ll give it a shot; he’s already made something like $200 million already in his career. Wow! When do we have enough money? When do you reach the point when you don’t have to worry about money? Wouldn’t most of us be OK with $1 million dollars, let alone, $200 million!?!?!?! What do these guys do with the money that they make?
Another reason that upsets/baffles us, is what these athletes do with all that money. There are stories all the time, like Mike Tyson, like that special ESPN ran about bankrupt athletes, where athletes made SO much money, but have blown it all. That’s just plain stupidity. What would we do with our $1 million dollars? Yeah, the right answer would be pay of all our bills, save, invest, etc… but what else? I would want to take a trip to Vegas, and party like a VIP for a weekend… how much would that cost? I’m sure others would want a new home, a new car, or take an extravagant vacation. That money slowly starts to go. Then, try keeping up that lifestyle year in year out. How much money does it take to do that? What about giving some to your family? What about donating some? How is that $1 million dollars looking now? How much is necessary to NOT worry about money? More money, more problems? It’s easy for us to say NO: I would be set with $1 million. Most of us will probably never have to worry about that “problem”, but I’d love to get that chance.
Another thing that pisses me off about the money being thrown around in professional sports is WHO that money goes to. Have you seen NBA salaries lately? Here are some #’s from last year for some of the NBA elite: Amare Stoudemire $22 M, Carlos Boozer $15M, Emeka Okafor $15M, Kris Humphries $12M, and Gerald Wallace $10M. Is that sick? It’s one thing to see Lebron or Carmelo get millions and millions, after all, they are the best in the sport. But when you see guys like this making THIS kind of money, it makes me sick to my stomach. What about the bench warmers? How much do they make? They still make more than most of us make. The Bulls paid Cartier Martin 100K last year. How much did he play for us? Was that like 5 grand for every minute he played? I’ll take that rate. How about the recent free agent signings, like Jodie Meeks, Josh McRoberts and Channing Frye? That’s 20, 23, and 32 million dollars respectively. Unbelievable.
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The last thing that pisses me off is that it seems like money is placed above everything else in our world today; the sports world is no different. Back to Carmelo for a second, and his statement that winning is most important. I would love to believe him. I would love to think that athletes today value other factors above money, such as, success, loyalty, and family. Well, if you think about it, money does allow us to take care of our families… What about success? How important is that? Nobody likes to lose, but how important is winning? What value does Carmelo place on that? Is having a ring or two worth $50 million? How about loyalty? Does staying with one team to try to succeed more important than trying to win at any and all cost, a la Lebron and his scheme team?
I guess when I think about it all, it’s really easy to see where Carmelo will end up. Who among us would leave that much money on the table? OK, not $50 million, but let’s say $50 thousand. Who would NOT leave their current job, or STAY at their current job, or for that matter stand on your head, for $50 thousand more per year? I always say it’s not about money, but would I leave that kind of money on the table because I would have more success in another job? Would I choose loyalty and stay with my current “team” over the money? Maybe it’s hard to compare, but just think about that.
So when Melo signs back with New York, think about all this. It will still piss me off. I’ll still call him an idiot and a liar for that matter. I guess winning wasn’t so important Melo!!! When we call him another athlete who follows the money, think about what we would do. Unfortunately, no matter how much you try to avoid it, and how many other things you value over it, money talks. I hate money, but I don’t think there is a way to make a living without it, at least I haven’t figured that out yet…
Jonathan Swift
A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart.