Insane Owners

I’m not sure how closely you pay attention to sports and the salaries that players make, but there was a news story this week that tweaked my internal eye. The first quarterback taken in this year’s NFL (professional football league) draft just signed his first professional contract. You may want to prepare yourself here for what you are about to read. Take a few deep breaths, close your eyes and count to five, and you might even try and forget about all the hard work you’ve done over your entire life to reach the standard of living you are currently at. Are you ready? I mean, are you really ready? Matt Ryan, a senior from Boston College and drafted third in the NFL draft signed a contract worth $72 million over 6 years. How did you take it? I hope the stars in your eyes subside and your blood pressure returns to normal soon. Focus. Think about something nice like a sunrise on the beach. Are you back with me? Good, let’s get to the story.

Now, I don’t have “much” of a problem with athletes making the money they can when they can get it. Their “careers” are notorious for being short lived and eventually, they may actually have to do something other than dress up and play a game for their money. While they are physically able, they have the right to sign contracts such as these if the owners are willing to ante up. Supply and demand and the economic system we live in helps dictate what these players are “worth.” Quoting a lot of important words here and I’m pretty sure you know why. My problem with this situation revolves around proving your worth. I’m also sure that in your life and in your job, you have had to prove to your co-workers and supervisors that you were and are, worth the money they pay you. You have also had to prove your value to the company when working for a promotion. Those are major obstacles in our lives. We have to prove ourselves on a daily basis and sometimes over a very long period of time to achieve monetary raises, increased vacation time, and promotions.

None of this seems to have any bearing on the contracts that rookies sign when entering professional athletic leagues. Why, how come they are given such massive amounts of money when they have yet to step a single foot onto a professional playing field? There are hundreds of other professional players making less than they are and they have put their time in. They have played for years and years proving their worth and ability. Yet, these relative newcomers show up and day 1, when they sign their name on the dotted line, they are immediately among the top 1% of the sport’s highest paid athletes. The player is not at fault here, they are doing what is in their best interest. They are playing the game accordingly and virtually winning the lottery of their life. These players are forever set financially. So what is the real reason why these players are paid so much for proving absolutely nothing? It boils down to one word, potential.

That’s pretty simplistic isn’t it? We all have potential don’t we? Are you paid for your potential at work or are you paid for production? In our lives, it’s a simple answer. We are paid for our production. Sure, I know there are jobs in the “real” world where potential value comes into play, but not in the way where $72 million is on the table. Here we are seeing rookies being paid for what they “might” do. They “might” take us to the Super Bowl. They “might” take us to the World Series. They may even help us win it! Imagine the increase in attendance and the increased revenue coming from selling new sports memorabilia. It’s a no-brainer, we HAVE to sign these guys to multimillion dollar contracts or we’re actually COSTING ourselves money. That’s the thought process of an owner. They spend countless hours complaining about their teams losing money and the players demanding too much in salary, but they are the ones who are OFFERING these contracts to the players.

Have you ever once heard of a player offering a contract to a team to play? No. The team is in the position of power. They have the final say if you are employed with them or not. That would be like me walking into a company with a salary demand and expecting them to agree with to it. It doesn’t quite work that way? Sure, there are negotiations on salary and contracts, but in the end, the team owners are the people in control just as the executives are in charge of your job. This is why when I hear about labor strikes and work stoppages in sports, I can only think of one thing: “Just how greedy are you people?” That’s right, they are greedy. Every single one of the owners is set for life. Their grandkids of their grandkids won’t have to work a day in their life. The players on the other hand, may not be set like the owners, but they make many times more than the average citizen of this country so I don’t feel remorse for them either. Don’t come crying to me because you haven’t figured out how to live on multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars per year while you play a game for a living. There’s no crying in baseball, or any sport for that matter.

Ryan, while having potential, has not proven his value. That’s the bottom line. Two players you may have heard about, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, have the following contracts: Manning – 7 years, $98 million / Brady – 6 years, $60 million. Both of these quarterbacks have won Super Bowls (Brady has won multiple). They have both proven their value on the professional field and have achieved their potential. They have both been rewarded accordingly. Manning received $34 million for signing his name. Brady received $26 million the first 2 years in bonus money for signing. Ryan, our rookie quarterback, is guaranteed $35 million before setting foot on the playing field. Doesn’t that sound a bit odd? A person, who has never even stood on the field of play in a professional league, is making similar money to two of the game’s most proven commodities. It just should not happen. How do you think the other players feel? While I’m sure that they are happy on the outside for them, but they have to be wondering when their “day in the sun” is coming.

The insane owners in our sports industry have chosen the path they are on. Teams are no longer teams. Our sports franchises are loaded with player mercenaries who perform for the dollar and not the team. They are no longer interested in doing things that may lower their personal statistics for the overall advancement of the team. Our current players are focused on making the most money in the free agent market because they know a player agent can milk an owner for every last cent on the table because the owner is insane, insane with greed that is. Dollar signs are in the eyes of everyone involved. If you’re the player, of course you’re going to sign the contract, you’re not stupid. If you’re the owner, of course you’re going to offer the contract. You’re “potentially” costing yourself money. Insane.

Citation: http://www.espn.com/