The Grass Is Greener.....On Another Field
Once upon a time, I kinda felt sorry for pro-athletes. I mean, they're essentially treated like property in a sense of "Oh, by the way.....We traded you to a city on the opposite coastline. Here's the number to our relocation department--good luck selling your house." Now, I'm sure it's not quite that blunt, but when you think about the wife, the kids, the kids' schools, and the practical side of having to learn a whole new city.
But these days, I'm convinced that average Joe Athlete deserves no sympathy because it's all about the Benjamins. Green. The cheese. You know what "loyalty" means? Squat. I sometimes believe the argument that a player wants to go to a team that has a better chance of winning a championship (who doesn't wanna win one or two of those in their career?). But more often than not, I think that it's all about the number of zeros and commas on the paycheck.
A recent article in The Tennessean (Nashville's newspaper) about departed members of the Tennessee Titans illustrates this quite nicely. They point out several folks that have been victims of team salary cap issues, but in my opinion, these people could've worked out a deal to stay if they really wanted to. They chose to be a free agent, they chose to explore their "market value", and they chose to not sign any new contract or extension. Look at this quote from John Runyan, who departed for the future-Super-Bowl-loser Eagles, addressing his departure:
''I knew I wasn't going to be a lifer in Tennessee. I don't think anybody is a lifer any more. Everybody is moving around....But it was a situation where I had to better my situation by going elsewhere. "
Translation: I had absolutely no intent of staying there. Never even entered my mind. Regardless of the situation, it's all about me, my ego, and my luxury car(s). I may make a kazillion dollars, but if another team offers me a kazillion plus $50, I'm outta here. Everybody's doing it, which makes it much easier to make myself feel better."
I know that sports are a business. I know there are hard decisions. But how is it that you have people like Brett Favre that care enough about their team, their city, and their organization to say, "Hey, I wanna stay here.....and I'll do whatever it takes."
Which makes it all the more hilarious when people like Mr. 2-yards, Eddie George, packs up and goes to Dallas for a little more cash. What does it get him? How about a broken streak of consecutive starts? Or games played? Or better yet, having to play the part of the opponent's running back in practice. Did you sleep well this season, Eddie?.....Cause the bed you made for yourself should've been comfortable.
But these days, I'm convinced that average Joe Athlete deserves no sympathy because it's all about the Benjamins. Green. The cheese. You know what "loyalty" means? Squat. I sometimes believe the argument that a player wants to go to a team that has a better chance of winning a championship (who doesn't wanna win one or two of those in their career?). But more often than not, I think that it's all about the number of zeros and commas on the paycheck.
A recent article in The Tennessean (Nashville's newspaper) about departed members of the Tennessee Titans illustrates this quite nicely. They point out several folks that have been victims of team salary cap issues, but in my opinion, these people could've worked out a deal to stay if they really wanted to. They chose to be a free agent, they chose to explore their "market value", and they chose to not sign any new contract or extension. Look at this quote from John Runyan, who departed for the future-Super-Bowl-loser Eagles, addressing his departure:
''I knew I wasn't going to be a lifer in Tennessee. I don't think anybody is a lifer any more. Everybody is moving around....But it was a situation where I had to better my situation by going elsewhere. "
Translation: I had absolutely no intent of staying there. Never even entered my mind. Regardless of the situation, it's all about me, my ego, and my luxury car(s). I may make a kazillion dollars, but if another team offers me a kazillion plus $50, I'm outta here. Everybody's doing it, which makes it much easier to make myself feel better."
I know that sports are a business. I know there are hard decisions. But how is it that you have people like Brett Favre that care enough about their team, their city, and their organization to say, "Hey, I wanna stay here.....and I'll do whatever it takes."
Which makes it all the more hilarious when people like Mr. 2-yards, Eddie George, packs up and goes to Dallas for a little more cash. What does it get him? How about a broken streak of consecutive starts? Or games played? Or better yet, having to play the part of the opponent's running back in practice. Did you sleep well this season, Eddie?.....Cause the bed you made for yourself should've been comfortable.
posted by Eric C at 3:15 PM
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