Monthly Archives: November 2011

In this “Business” we call sports where has the Love for the game gone? Why did games with such enjoyment and team work turn into “Entertainment” a “Business” a “Job”  and “going to the Office”? I like many of you are seeing the main reason for sports go right out the window because all sports are now is kids trying to entertain us and to see how much money they can make before there careers are over.

My question to you all is ” Why don’t all athletes play for the love of the game”. I looked at the NFL season almost become none existent because of greedy players and also because of greedy owners. I’m seeing the same thing happen to the NBA and it’s players and Unions not wanting to play just because they aren’t getting what they call “there fair share of the money being made off there names” for these teams that they play for. The way the NCAA has become all because of the mighty dollar.

I wanna first talk about the NFL and whats it’s become I think since free agency started way back when. The crazy salaries these young athletes were getting right out of college and before they even played a down in the NFL was getting totally out of control, although I am glad the Owners and the Union came to a salary cap agreement in the summer. I still think these top 5-6 players drafted are still making to much money. I think there should be a base salary for every draft pick at least for there first two years and then they can negotiate a big deal with that team or any other team that wants them. The players should want to do this if not only to prove there worth but also because of there “Love for the Game”.

I know this is not the way it is or will ever be but this is how I feel. I know football players have a short shelf life in the NFL and wanna get paid as much as they can before there bodies start to fall apart but I want them to play for the love and if they do so the money will be there when there done playing. That leads me to my next point. Professional football players are always in the news for some type of violent crimes or being at the scene of a crime or any other bad thing that happens to normal citizens and they aren’t held responsible for there actions most of the time. I won’t use any names but let it be known that there are a lot of professional football players that have been involved with violent crimes, crimes involving alcohol and drugs, and domestic violence crimes as well.

I believe that Coaches and owners of these teams need to hold these guys responsible for there actions off the field as well as on the fields. Thats why I think they need a base salary to start there careers and then get top dollar once they have proved themselves. I think they will appreciate what they have more then instead of getting all kinds of money for not doing any thing except for what they did in college. Look at the history of these top players that got big 1st round pay checks and didn’t make it in the league. What if you were the owner of that team and you gave some athlete $50 million and he couldn’t play in the league?

Lets talk about the NBA and it’s on-going Lock-out. I believe this is Day 138 and it looks like there may not be an NBA season and why is that? I believe this is all because of some greedy players and some greedy owners. I pretty much gave up on the NBA last year anyway because of the “State of the NBA”, that being Lebron James leaving Cleveland (yes I’m a biter fan) and going to Miami and being apart of “The Super Team” and all that money the Miami Heat organization gave him and Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. This seems to be the way these young athletes are wanting things. Get all the best players and the most money and put them all on one team and the Rings and the Glory will follow. Well that’s what they thought was gonna happen in Miami last year when they made up this super team only to see those dreams get destroyed by an over paid and under-achieving Lebron James. He quit on his team in the Play-offs and everyone knew it and then he rubs it in the common mans face by saying “Go back to your miserable lives and I’ll go back to my great life”. Those were pretty much his words and they sunk in like water in a sponge to every sports fan that pays money to watch these spoiled athletes every night.

What about “The love of the Game”. Why does it have to be like this? Why do teams have to consists of the very best athletes in these big cities with all the glamour and glitz while the small market teams with less money and glamour and glitz suffer? We are the people paying these salaries to the players and I believe I speak for a lot of people in saying this has got to end. These Owners and Coaches need to take back there teams and make these guys earn what they get and hold them responsible for there actions. You make your teams better! Just like Micheal Jordan and Magic Johnson and Larry Bird did. It’s players like those named that made this league and made it possible for you to play in it. Give respect to them and quit trying to take the easy way out and make these “Super Teams” do it the right way with hard work and great leadership. The rings and the money will be there after the hard work is put in.

Quit bitching about how much money you want from the Owners and that you need money to feed your family. You make plenty of money. Just look at the common man or woman on the street and see how good you all have it, and just  for playing a Game that your supposed to love so much.

On to the NCAA and all that is going on with this Organization. I used to believe that College athletics was the purists form of Athletics. Most kids get to go to school for free and they get to play a game they love so much and do it all for the College or University they grew up loving so much as a child. No longer is it like that. We learned a little bit last year of what goes on with Colleges and how they get these great athletes to come to there Universities. They (Coaches) used to visit your homes while you were still in High School and offer you an awesome education and a great campus life. Now they offer you Cars and money and trips and homes for your families. This all provided to Collegiate athletes who aren’t supposed to earn money outside of your basic living expenses. I again won’t use any names but teams offered players money to come to there school and the highest bidder won that athlete and a National Championship. I remember a day when you went to college to play sports and to get an education now you go to “Get Paid”.

The NCAA experience is supposed to be the time when you develop as a person and as an athlete but today it’s not. You go to College as an athlete because your a great talent and you can hopefully make the Administration and the school a lot of money. You of course will not see much of that money but they treat you like kings and queens as long as your there serving them up with victories and National Media attention. They clean up at the bank by selling tickets to there games at an over inflated price and charging hundreds of dollars to park around there stadiums and also to tailgate on City property. All that merchandise these colleges are selling and the money is just crazy. The molding of athletes and professional workers is quickly out the door if your University is a top notch University because all they want is for you to go out there and make them some money and win them some games. What about “The love of The Game”

I’m not gonna go into a big discussion about all the events at Penn St. but I do want to say that no one man should ever have the power to control so much of anything. That has been made clear through out this entire ordeal so far. The hiding of such information for all those years. Not just by Joe Paterno or Jerry Sandusky. I’m putting the entire Board of directors in there to. To know that kids were hurt for all those years and pretty much shove it under the rug is not right. I think that this is only the beginning of whats going to end up coming out and I hope all those that had a part or some type of involvement in this are dealt with by the law and are punished accordingly. I hope the University can bounce back from this after all is said and done and that no more kids are hurt again.

In closing I just want to say: “What about the Love of the Game”. Don’t ever lose the big picture. The big picture is that it’s a game and only a game. Don’t let the money and the fame cloud your vision and your out look on life. Think about the people who could be hurt, the cities that could be affected by your decissions, both financially and ethically. For with out sports the world could be a very different place.