Why Are Pro Athletes So Greedy?

[McBoller]

[quote name='ravens27' post='147804' date='Jan 30 2009, 10:30 PM']I agree, Joe just seems different.[/quote]
I agree, and i REALLY hope he stays that way. It'd be awesome to see him start a scholarship fund or something useful and continue to live in an apartment and drive a beater even when he gets his big payday after his rookie conract!

If its all for the love of the game, what are the $250,000 cars and multi-million dollar houses for anyways...

[flynismo]

[quote name='ravensorioleshoyas522155' post='147779' date='Jan 30 2009, 09:53 PM']or Joe Flacco. He JUST got his first car and lives in an apartment. but im sure that will change soon a little bit but i dont see Joe going out and buying huge houses and 10 expensive cars[/quote]

ok, now that's taking it too far, lol...lemme find out that Flacco still lives at home! Cheapskate, lol...

Tell ya what, if I had a $20M contract, my big, and only, splurge would be to drop about $15k into my baby (a 1993 Nissan 300ZX, my first love!!). Get a real nice house, take care of my kids and family, start another buisiness and tuck the rest away under my mattress. Then my next contract, I would literally and figuratively give it all away. I've got a lot of ideas on how I would help others with that kind of many, now I just need to work on my 40- and grow another 6" and 100 lbs, then I can be Baltimore's 2010 first rounder to play DE next to Haloti!

[flynismo]

[quote name='theFRANCHISE' post='147782' date='Jan 30 2009, 09:55 PM']The problem is, as much as we try to humanize pro athletes, they are not normal people.[/quote]

Adam Jones and TO definitely are not normal people, they are certainly messed up in the head. But this just reeks of blanket statement....

[quote]We put them on a pedestal, so it's our own fault that their level of celebrity makes them different. They are forced to live a different lifestyle because they are in the public eye. It's important to note, however, that just because the lifestyle is different, doesn't mean it has to be lavish or extravagant.[/quote]


There it is...
But, it is their "fault" (I put that in quotes because they're not really doing anything wrong or immoral, and I know no one was implying they are) if they think/act different from what they normally would. Money changes people....weak people. You really can't blame society for the actions/attitudes of individuals, else this world would be a sad, sad place to live in.

On the other hand, we have plenty of guys (well, maybe not plenty, but some) like Flac and Hairball who aren't excessive and greedy. They're walking proof of why we can't pass the buck onto society as to why athletes act the way they do.

All that ranting and raving aside, I don't see a problem with having a mansion, and a Ferrari. I mean, when you have made deep into eight figures in your career, a $5M house and a $250,000 car is chump change. It seems excessive to us, but to them it's nothing.
What I have a problem with is the guys with mansions and Ferrari's who hold out for bigger contracts, or try to suck every last dime out of their team.

[jezzy]

they deserve to get paid cuz of the danger inflicted on there body every practice, game they risk life altering injuries but after that interview with ray n deion on nfl network didnt look like good for us cuz it seem deion was exsposing rays true feelings so i just hope suggs is really gonna give us that discount cuz it looks like ray wants the max he can get so i hope we give him that cuz he truely is the face of our franchise when eva u hear ravens u always think ray so i hope we bring out the paper n dont pull a angellos type move on us n turn us into the orioles of football

[Moderator 2]

Someone else that got big bucks and lives normally and gives a ton to the community is Todd Heap. I really think there are more Heaps and Flaccos and even Ray Rice and and Jameel McClains then there are Pac Man, TO and the ultimate head case Plaxico Burress. Many NFL players lost their collective butts by and investment scammer.

[iHate]

[quote name='flynismo' post='147856' date='Jan 30 2009, 11:56 PM']ok, now that's taking it too far, lol...lemme find out that Flacco still lives at home! Cheapskate, lol...

Tell ya what, if I had a $20M contract, my big, and only, splurge would be to drop about $15k into my baby (a 1993 Nissan 300ZX, my first love!!). Get a real nice house, take care of my kids and family, start another buisiness and tuck the rest away under my mattress. Then my next contract, I would literally and figuratively give it all away. I've got a lot of ideas on how I would help others with that kind of many, now I just need to work on my 40- and grow another 6" and 100 lbs, then I can be Baltimore's 2010 first rounder to play DE next to Haloti![/quote]

its easy to talk about giving away hundreds of thousands- or millions of dollars, that you don't, nor will ever have

[Jesse Conroy]

[quote name='Rocky Mountain Raven' post='147686' date='Jan 30 2009, 05:12 PM']I have a feeling your about to get fired on. [b]They put their bodies at risk, they're worth every penny[/b], they need to get they're money now, all that BS. It's part of the business and the answer is because they can be. I think its a total vanity issue. How many guys are unhappy with they're current contracts because someone else in the league got the real payday. Look at Boldin and Fitz, Boldin's unhappy because Fitz got the real money. When is enough going to be enough; I dont think it ever will be. Keep raising the league minimum and paying guys larger contracts every year and we'll continue to see the greed of the NFL players. But then again, who wants to get paid less for doing the same job.[/quote]


I disagree... hell anyone would go out there and make millions just for playing a sport they love. Its not like they cant make any money any other way.. Its playing a game which happens to be physical, but fun. They dont play for money, they play for fun... (nowdays that statement could be wrong) but either way they are getting paid for having fun... Its not much of a risk..

I risk my body when I play football, and I do it for fun not money. (anyone could get hurt at anytime)

[flynismo]

[quote name='iHate' post='147866' date='Jan 31 2009, 01:05 AM']its easy to talk about giving away hundreds of thousands- or millions of dollars, that you don't, nor will ever have[/quote]

It's also easy to talk about what you think other people would do in a given situation, especially when you don't know anything about the person.

[codizzle]

[quote name='Jesse Conroy' post='147868' date='Jan 31 2009, 12:26 AM']I disagree... hell anyone would go out there and make millions just for playing a sport they love. Its not like they cant make any money any other way.. Its playing a game which happens to be physical, but fun. They dont play for money, they play for fun... (nowdays that statement could be wrong) but either way they are getting paid for having fun... Its not much of a risk..

I risk my body when I play football, and I do it for fun not money. (anyone could get hurt at anytime)[/quote]
i agree with you to a point but the pace at which they play is ten times as fast as what any of us on here has ever played... there are more risks for the nfl player then the casual player

for the ray lewis arguement... i highly doubt ray will have a hard time making money for the rest of his life. open up a few restaurants or a club. anything in baltimore. it'd be an instant success. let alone developing a coaching career... please dont tell me he has to make all of his money now. thats a joke.

[MKdave]

[quote name='Jesse Conroy' post='147868' date='Jan 31 2009, 06:26 AM']I disagree... [b]hell anyone would go out there and make millions just for playing a sport they love.[/b] Its not like they cant make any money any other way.. Its playing a game which happens to be physical, but fun. They dont play for money, they play for fun... (nowdays that statement could be wrong) but either way they are getting paid for having fun... [b]Its not much of a risk.[/b].

[b]I risk my body when I play football, and I do it for fun not money.[/b] (anyone could get hurt at anytime)[/quote]
No, not anyone could go out and make millions playing football. If it was just scrubs off the street who loved football then no one would watch it, and they wouldn't be getting paid millions.

It's not much a risk? So when you see the staggering amount of players with alzheimers and parkinsons and other head trauma-induced diseases, they're all just coincidence? Like Ted Johnson, Ex-Patriots linebacker that got diagnosed with alzheimers at 38, that had nothing to do with football?

The difference is when you're playing guys you're playing are about half as fast and half as big. They can't hit like pros.

[edreedfromtheu]

This reply is the the original poster.

What are you talking about? Ray Lewis didn't sign with the Jets, so why are you using that as your example? And who are you to determine that the Jets would be a worse place to play than Baltimore? And how do you know Ray actually loves Baltimore? He might love the fans on gameday, but maybe he wants to head out west or back down south? Warmer weather maybe? Better schools for the kids possibly? Closer to family?

Now, if what your question really was: was Why Ray Lewis would ever even think about leaving? The answer is simple: He's been stuck here in Baltimore for over a decade with hardly any offense. Last year started out okay, looked like things might turn around... but 2nd half of the season was just disgusting to watch. He probably doesn't want to finish out his career with the same lack of production on the other side of the ball. Then he'd have to spend the rest of his life wondering "What if I had just went to another team. Could I have won another ring? Or two? Or three?

[RedFire]

[quote name='codizzle' post='147875' date='Jan 31 2009, 03:02 AM']i agree with you to a point but the pace at which they play is ten times as fast as what any of us on here has ever played... there are more risks for the nfl player then the casual player

for the ray lewis arguement... i highly doubt ray will have a hard time making money for the rest of his life. open up a few restaurants or a club. anything in baltimore. it'd be an instant success. let alone developing a coaching career... please dont tell me he has to make all of his money now. thats a joke.[/quote]


haha ray already has a resturant:

[url="http://www.raylewisfullmoon.com/"]http://www.raylewisfullmoon.com/[/url]

[Bazooka Joe]

[quote name='ravensorioleshoyas522155' post='147677' date='Jan 30 2009, 04:50 PM']ok say im Ray Lewis. I get a 30 million dollar offer to play for the Jets. And i get a 20 million dollar offer to play for baltimore the city that i love. why not take the 20? why do pro athletes take the higher number to go to a place less fun to play when either way they are going to be making more money than they really need, and WAAYYY more than the normal person. WHY? WHY ARE THEY SO GREEDY??[/quote]


I really dislike arguments like this. Pro athletes are not factory workers, plumbers, secretaries, teachers, etc. They are Pro Athletes and just as we do, they like to paid amongst the best in their business. If I am a star player, then why should I get what a role player receives?

Let's get real, if we were in these guys shoes, we'd do the same thing. For instance, if Dallas wants to give me 30M, but Baltimore give me 20M, then hell yeah I am taking the 30. I am not leaving 10M on the table. As a matter of fact, if Baltimore LOVED me, then why not match the 30M?

Let's take it further. Why should an actor get 25M for one film?
Why should CEOs of big firms get 2 to 10M per year?

It is because that what their market and talent dictates.

If Ray gets a 30M deal from Dallas, then God bless him, because I would not want the Ravens to match that. Get your money.

[Marc2k6]

Greedy!? OK let's say you are making 20 million working for Comcast and Verizon offer's you 30 Mil to do the same job for them. Who are you going to be loyal to? yourself or the job? The answer should be yourself because most jobs are not loyal to you, if you are not performing up to expectation, you will get canned. How many people are loyal to the job they have right now and will not accept a job from another company that is willing to pay you 30,000 more than what you make now?

[Bazooka Joe]

[quote name='Marc2k6' post='147909' date='Jan 31 2009, 08:21 AM']Greedy!? OK let's say you are making 20 million working for Comcast and Verizon offer's you 30 Mil to do the same job for them. Who are you going to be loyal to? yourself or the job? The answer should be yourself because most jobs are not loyal to you, if you are not performing up to expectation, you will get canned. How many people are loyal to the job they have right now and will not accept a job from another company that is willing to pay you 30,000 more than what you make now? [/quote]


Spoken like a man with a brain. Good post.

[Marc2k6]

At this point we do not know what kinda contract will be offered to Ray Lewis, but I do not see how anyone can look at a extra $10 Mil like it is not that big of a deal!

[flynismo]

[quote name='Marc2k6' post='147909' date='Jan 31 2009, 08:21 AM']How many people are loyal to the job they have right now and will not accept a job from another company that is willing to pay you 30,000 more than what you make now? [/quote]

I am. I'm self employed and wouldn't give up what I have for a few extra dollars.

[PocketSize]

I would love to say "who am I to judge" and all that, but I'll be honest, I'm a judgmental person. But I try to be fair. Well, fair-ish.

I would also love to say that football players and other athletes deserve their millions because they put their bodies at risk for us. Sure, that's noble and everything. And I hate seeing players injured. But I have a question for those who say that physical stress and the risk of injury justify a paycheck like that.

Why don't our soldiers make that much?

How many players end up with life-threatening injuries? It's horrible when it happens, but it's not that frequent, is it? Now, how many soldiers, sailors, and pilots (and CBs and supply corps and medics...) come home broken? How many don't come home at all?

Sorry. I'll come down off the soapbox now.

To be fair, would I want that kind of money? Sure. I'm human. And goodness knows I'd probably blow it all on yarn, fabric, a sheep and alpaca farm... at least buy a red 1965 Mustang. But you see, all of that and more can be had for less than $20M a year. If a player wants to move to another team because they are offering him more, that's fine, that's his deal. But while it may be good business sense, it's not really necessary. Whether it qualifies as dirty dirty greed or not I don't know. But it sure doesn't look good from down here in the middle class.

Also, keep in mind that in America we tend to all want to be successful and rich, but then we spit upon those who make it there (Starbucks, WalMart, Britney Spears...). It's just one of the darker sides of human nature, so discussions like this are bound to come up.

[Marc2k6]

"(Starbucks, WalMart, Britney Spears...)"

[PocketSize]

[quote name='Marc2k6' post='147926' date='Jan 31 2009, 10:06 AM']"(Starbucks, WalMart, Britney Spears...)" [/quote]

I was giving those as examples of people/businesses who've gotten to the top and are successful and rich and yet everybody loves to hate them.

[codizzle]

ive gotten offered jobs that would double my salary and i refused them because they would take me away from friends and family.. as much emphasis as ray tries to put on those things u'd think that would be his priority.. thats all im saying

[Marc2k6]

[quote name='PocketSize' post='147977' date='Jan 31 2009, 01:48 PM']I was giving those as examples of people/businesses who've gotten to the top and are successful and rich and yet everybody loves to hate them.[/quote]


What!? I love Walmart and Starbucks!

[codizzle]

[quote name='Marc2k6' post='147988' date='Jan 31 2009, 01:19 PM']What!? I love Walmart and Starbucks![/quote]
thats what i was thinking

[moe]

They are not playing because of benevolent but for their regard to their own interest.

[ROH522155]

[quote name='edreedfromtheu' post='147901' date='Jan 31 2009, 08:25 AM']This reply is the the original poster.

What are you talking about? Ray Lewis didn't sign with the Jets, so why are you using that as your example? And who are you to determine that the Jets would be a worse place to play than Baltimore? And how do you know Ray actually loves Baltimore? He might love the fans on gameday, but maybe he wants to head out west or back down south? Warmer weather maybe? Better schools for the kids possibly? Closer to family?

Now, if what your question really was: was Why Ray Lewis would ever even think about leaving? The answer is simple: He's been stuck here in Baltimore for over a decade with hardly any offense. Last year started out okay, looked like things might turn around... but 2nd half of the season was just disgusting to watch. He probably doesn't want to finish out his career with the same lack of production on the other side of the ball. Then he'd have to spend the rest of his life wondering "What if I had just went to another team. Could I have won another ring? Or two? Or three?[/quote]


they were just examples!!!! JEEZ!! i meant athletes in general

[ROH522155]

[quote name='Marc2k6' post='147913' date='Jan 31 2009, 09:30 AM']At this point we do not know what kinda contract will be offered to Ray Lewis, but I do not see how anyone can look at a extra $10 Mil like it is not that big of a deal! [/quote]


obviously 10 million dollars is a whole lot of money but most people never have a chance to make that kinda money and they get along just fine so why would a 20 million dollar deal be such a big difference from a 30 million? most football and baseball players make more money then we do in our whole life in just a couple years so................idk maybe im too young to understand this stuff or something

[Black&Purple]

I didn't read all of this, but lets say you are about to get a promotion, and you are offered 20k more a year, or 30k more a year. Which do you take, if the 20k means you stay with the same company you love, and have been with for awhile?

[ROH522155]

[quote name='Black&Purple' post='148084' date='Jan 31 2009, 08:12 PM']I didn't read all of this, but lets say you are about to get a promotion, and you are offered 20k more a year, or 30k more a year. Which do you take, if the 20k means you stay with the same company you love, and have been with for awhile?[/quote]


thats different because having thousands of dollars is different from millions. pro athletes already have more money than they really need. but of course in the case you stated, you would take the 30 thousand

[rayrayven]

If a player is getting paid 20 million they might only see half of it. By the time federal, state and local taxes are deducted - along with agents fees, publicists, trainers, lawyers, insurance premiums etc. the money a player makes is not as gargantuan as it looks (although it is still a treasure chest compared to average working stiff).

[72Marshall]

[quote name='PuRock' post='147694' date='Jan 30 2009, 05:36 PM'][b]Lets not forget about taxes, this is also relative.[/b][/quote]

Yeah and 10 to 20 million is way over the $250 thousand that we'll only be allowed to make in a couple of months.