I'll admit I don't follow ESPN they way I use to but I just happened to catch something today that ignited a bit of angst I've been harboring for some time. Not sure how many of you follow football but if you do you may have seen that last play of the Giants/Bucs game where Eli took a knee to run out the clock. Neither team usually puts any effort into the play. It's a symbolic gesture to end a game usually well fought. Well in this game the Bucs actually decided to PLAY football and instead of standing around conceding the game, they slammed into the line in hopes of creating a turnover. Well of course the Giants team and coaches cried foul, the media whores shouted "cheap shot" and drunk has-been high school football stars came to blows at the local sports bar over it.
Of course the divine wisdom of the ESPN commentators brought everything into perspective. "These guys are professionals making a lot of money and they can't afford to risk injuries." Really? Can't afford to get hurt because they make so much money? The rules in the NFL have changed so drastically over the last decade that among these behemoth man-children you can't even look at them without drawing a penalty. Even the most benign tackle earns not only a flag from the officials but a fine from the league. So now we have a generation of super human football players all hopped up on steroids and other chemicals they've grown up on in their foods and drinking water and yet they are treated with kid gloves for fear they might chip a nail or get an unsightly bruise. Nowadays players get paid not for their time on the field but to ensure they are financially set for LIFE. Wow, could you imagine walking into your future bosses office and say, "I only intend on working here for six to eight years so I need a salary that will support me for the rest of my life. Oh, and by the way, only give me projects and tasks that have near 100% likelihood of success. I can't afford to be put in a position where I might fail." You would think the more money you're paid the more responsibility and the more risk you assume. I suppose that's just a reflection of our country and our economic woes. I mean, there's a reason you're getting paid so much, right?
I suppose if you take that commentators logic in the opposite direction that would mean if players were paid less then they and the league would be willing to take on more risk. Hmmm, kinda sounds like the NFL of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Ever notice how you almost never hear of old time veterans down on their luck, living homeless under a freeway? On the contrary, many of them became and still are very successful businessmen. And you know why? It's because football was a part time job. Back in the day every NFL player worked during the off season, and by work I don't mean slumming around with Kim K or whining on a reality TV show. Sure their celebrity helped but many had well developed business skills and made something of themselves outside of football. Back then football was a game, at least to the players and the fans. I can't help but feel that the old time vets must be looking at today's crop of football players, shaking their heads. Not in amazement of their athletic talents but over their lack of maturity, integrity, dignity and commitment to excellence that comes from being part of a team. Yesterday's athletes wanted championships. Today's athletes want endorsements.
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