How Much Do You Make?
I was going to do a quick little piece on compilation albums that every
one should have in their CD collection. But while I was going over the
'best of' collections, I made the mistake of watching ESPN and getting
caught up on the world of sports...Big mistake...
For the 'come and go' spectator sports is just a way to pass a few idle
hours away on the weekend when there's nothing else on TV. For the die
hard fan who lives and dies by the regular season and can't wait to see
if their team gets to the playoffs, it has become a big business that,
basically, is rewarding the mediocre employee and making the buying
public pay through the nose for a below average product.
Let's face it...There are athletes who make over a million dollars a
years and can't hit a ball in the clutch or sink a free throw when the
game is on the line. I don't know about anyone else, but as for me, if
someone isn't doing the job they're being paid for there are only two
options...fire him or take a cut in pay.
How many of us had to start a new job and only get minimum wage or slightly
above that? Then try to make ends meet while we busted our humps to impress
the boss and maybe, just maybe, get a raise or promotion? It's not an easy
task in this down-sizing, cut back, throw away society we live in.
So how about the professional athlete? Should they come right out of college
and be able to demand an astronomical salary without proving themselves? And
what if this schmo goes and breaks a leg or arm in his first couple of games?
What do you hear the managers and owners saying then? 'Well, there's always
next year.' And what happens the next year or the year after that? Usually the
player gets traded away for the next 'up and coming, high priced, haven't proved
myself yet' superstar. But who pays for it? We, the fan, do. Increased ticket
prices, higher parking charges, bigger concession bills...'Yeah, throw me a
coupla those $7.00 hot dogs and go easy on the mustard.'
I look at it this way...If you make umpteen million dollars a year and you
can't get your team to the playoffs, give the money back. Why are you being
paid all this money? Because you're the best? You can lead the league in every
stat there is, but without that ring, without that trophy, without that cup...
Hey, you're just another loser who couldn't make it to the big game. You know
what...If you're the best, play the game by yourself then.
There is no such thing as team pride anymore. It's just 'gimmee, gimmee, gimmee'
until somebody else can give you more. So as the basketball and hockey playoffs
continue and baseball season heads into it's second month, take a look at the teams
that didn't make it. Check out the stars of those teams. What did they make? How
did they perform? Were they worth the millions of dollars they made this season?
I think I'll stick to watching little league where the kids are trying to impress
someone, even if it only means pizza after the game.
- Richard Blaine
* Richard Blaine's views and opinions do not necessarily
reflect the views and opinions of the staff at Twin-Music.