One of the things I am constantly amazed by is the way our sports figures throw around money and numbers.
They live in a different world than we do.
The Eagles have indicated they will pick up the bonus for convicted dog killer Michael Vick. That comes to $1.5 million. That does not mean he will again be part of the troika at QB the team featured last year. He still could be shipped elsewhere.
Yesterday the team indicated they will pay offensive lineman Stacy Andrews his $4 million roster bonus, while trying to redo his contract to pay him substantially less. For what? Last year the Eagles got almost nothing out of Andrews, brother of the equally unproductive and oft-injured Shawn Andrews. But apparently the Eagles see enough in Stacy to toss him a bone, to the tune of $4.5 million.
The team also yesterday traded wide receiver Reggie Brown to the Bucs for a draft pick. It was just a few years back they were showering him with a new deal worth millions.
Maybe that’s what they mean by the “gold standard” that owner Jeff Lurie and team President Joe Banner are always harping about.
It’s not just the Eagles, or football.
It’s all sports. The money is just ridiculous.
And all of this while the rest of us struggle to keep our heads above water, and fret as we face layoffs, pay freezes and unpaid furloughs.
Our health care coverage is reduced, and the co-pays are hiked.
In my next life, I want to be a professional athlete. Just once I’d like to see someone dangle that kind of money in front of me and see how fast I’d sign on the dotted line.
Then you read about Allen Iverson, who has likely made in the neighborhood of $150 million in his NBA career. According to some reports, Iverson is now grappling with personal demons, as well as money problems. He will not return to the Sixers this year, his daughter is seriously ill, and his wife has filed for divorce.
Last night he admitted on his Twitter account he is going through some “tough times.”
Welcome to our world, Allen.
They live in a different world than we do.
The Eagles have indicated they will pick up the bonus for convicted dog killer Michael Vick. That comes to $1.5 million. That does not mean he will again be part of the troika at QB the team featured last year. He still could be shipped elsewhere.
Yesterday the team indicated they will pay offensive lineman Stacy Andrews his $4 million roster bonus, while trying to redo his contract to pay him substantially less. For what? Last year the Eagles got almost nothing out of Andrews, brother of the equally unproductive and oft-injured Shawn Andrews. But apparently the Eagles see enough in Stacy to toss him a bone, to the tune of $4.5 million.
The team also yesterday traded wide receiver Reggie Brown to the Bucs for a draft pick. It was just a few years back they were showering him with a new deal worth millions.
Maybe that’s what they mean by the “gold standard” that owner Jeff Lurie and team President Joe Banner are always harping about.
It’s not just the Eagles, or football.
It’s all sports. The money is just ridiculous.
And all of this while the rest of us struggle to keep our heads above water, and fret as we face layoffs, pay freezes and unpaid furloughs.
Our health care coverage is reduced, and the co-pays are hiked.
In my next life, I want to be a professional athlete. Just once I’d like to see someone dangle that kind of money in front of me and see how fast I’d sign on the dotted line.
Then you read about Allen Iverson, who has likely made in the neighborhood of $150 million in his NBA career. According to some reports, Iverson is now grappling with personal demons, as well as money problems. He will not return to the Sixers this year, his daughter is seriously ill, and his wife has filed for divorce.
Last night he admitted on his Twitter account he is going through some “tough times.”
Welcome to our world, Allen.
Comments
Thanks for the words concerning the compensation paid to athletes. While I admire their accomplishments and abilities, I have always wondered why anyone (including school superintendents) would be paid more than the president of our country?
Have always been fascinated by the amount of money fans spend on tickets and other game-related items.
Obviously, money and fame has helped destroy lots of sports figures (political figures, etc) in the past, I often wonder which came first, the propensity to make poor decisions, or the money and fame that allows the person to make really big. bad, poor decisions.