A-ROD....OH GOD!!!

[BrainyBeauty]

Holy Cow! Talk about the Money Store!

What will Texas get for $252 million?
For that kind of money, I would expect him to play every position; pitch a no-hitter each time out; bat .500; clean the spittle off the dugout floor and sing the national anthem.

Oh yeah- I would also expect him to have a really big hot dog and nice buns that I could hold while he is fetching me a tall cold beer.

Is it just me, or are the salaries getting a wee bit out of hand now?

Seattle residents..I feel your pain. First you lose Griffey to us and now A-Rod to Texas. But at least you have a new stadium!

 

[Chuckus]

Athletes salaries are a crime........

You know what? I am beginning to like Collegiate sports even more than ever before. These players are making WAY WAY too much money. Who is worth the money these guys are making? I don't agree with the owners either making money hand over fist and then "balking" when THEY have to pay for a stadium to support their money making. I mean come on already, you have the money and WHY should WE pay for a stadium that serves no other purpose other than to line your pockets?

Now if I made that much money I would play EVERY game no matter how hurt or sick I was........I would even take it a step further and actually contribute to my City, Town or State by doing something with all that money I had...I mean, come on you are never going to spend it all anyways, right?

Okay, I will get off of my soapbox now........it is just soooo ridiculous.

 

[BrainyBeauty]

Hi Chuckie uh Chuckles err Chuckus

Looks like the fate of professional sports is up to just you and me! LOL

I totally agree with you. It is ridiculous to begin with but nowadays most major league sports are rife with prima donnas. You're right, we should expect them to give 100% yet most will sit out for the lamest of reasons. I kid you not- we have a QB on our 'professional' football team who stubbed his toe last year and only played 6 games. No sprain or fracture. A stubbed toe! Geez.

Why should they put themselves out when there are no incentives? Kinda like welfare for the athletically gifted. It pays to warm the bench without exerting themselves. They're gonna get the $ anyway. For instance, A-Rod got a $10 mill signing bonus. What the hell is that anyway? What a crock. Yet, the incentives to actually play well and PERFORM his job???? Man, he would only get 500K for winning MVP; 100K for being voted to the All-Star team and only a measly 150K each for winning Division and League championships. Explain this contract logic to me.

 

[BrainyBeauty]

Oops hit the submit button too fast

Anyway, I saw an interesting article today and I thought I would add a little perspective to A-Rod's new contract.

He will be getting 25 mill for each of the next 10 years. With that money you could buy:

- 1 jumbo jet which seats 550 passengers
- the Chicago Cubs (according to Forbes magazine are worth $242 million)
- 83 30 carat emerald cut diamond rings
- 3134 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolets
- 6174 households that he could support for a year (at the US median income of $40,816)
- 720,000 rounds of golf at Pebble Beach
- 5,978,647 shares of Nike stock
- 12,811,387 tickets at the Ballpark at Arlington (more than 3 seasons of sellouts)
- 42 million gallons of gasoline if you bought one of Litton Industries oil tankers
- 50 million cups of iced white chocolate mocha at $5 from Starbucks
- 84,280,936 McDonald's Happy Meals at $2.99
112 million hot dogs at the Ballpark at Arlington

His salary for one year is worth more than the entire payroll for the Minnesota Twins.

Also, in the next 10 years A-Rod would have to spend $2,877 per hour around the clock to spend the $252 million. ( I wonder if he needs any help? hehehe)

It would take 23,525 years for a worker earning minimum wage to earn $252 million.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Why isn't there some kind of salary cap for professional sports salaries? Somebody explain.

Alex's previous contract was $10.6 mill for four years with the Mariners. Talk about a raise!

By the way, that $252-million salary is more than Rangers owner Tom Hicks paid for the franchise, according to a headline in my local paper. It also doubles the previous richest contract in sports.

 

[Nogard]

As long as fans are willing to pay the inflated ticket prices this will continue. Don't pay to see the game and see how fast things change

 

[WriterDom]

it's all supply and demand.. as long as everyone is making money, who cares.. actors make a hell of a lot more money for one movie and no one complains

 

[Chuckus]

I for one.............

Quit paying to see these bunch of over paid Prima donnas a whie ago........it just disgusts me HOW much $$$ they make, while I work my tail off and do something that actually contributes to society in general. So disgusting, I would not mind so much IF these clowns would actually do some good with their money, but they do not. They just whine about "I am hurt" "I can't do this" "I can't do that".....just darn right OUTRAGEOUS!

Ok, off my soapbox............night all.

 

[Rattlesnake1775]

I personally don't see a problem with him getting that much money. Why ? Because he generates it.

It's pretty simple. There are people who pay to see him hit a ball. Catch a ball. Throw a ball. Whatever a ball. And as long as he has the ability to manipulate the ball in a way that makes people want to watch, he will generate BILLIONS ( because professionals sports, counting them all, is a multi billion dollar industry, in the US alone ). So what is wrong with giving him some of those ?

It is true that the rest of us will never see that much money. Can we manipulate a ball like that ? Do we hate Bill Gates because he made billions programming windows ? No. We respect him because he has that skill. The professional athletes skill lies on the playing field.

I personally do not support pro sports by paying for tickets. But I do know that I enjoy watching certain sports. And I know that as long as sports are supported by the general public at the level they are now, athletes will continue to make this money. It is a simple cost/benefit analysis.

 

[Ezzy]

Well...

Do we hate Bill Gates because he made billions programming windows ? No. We respect him because he has that skill.

Yup. Nope. And I don't think much of his morals either.



EZ

 

[Mustang Sally]

These outrageous salaries seriously hurt the teams that can't afford to offer that kind of money. Is it fair that Texas (for example) can collect the biggest talent and therefore win because it's richer than other teams? What kind of competition is that? It hardly seems fair.

I remember back in the early '90's I had some moderate interest in baseball after the Blue Jays won the World Series two years in a row ('91 and '92 I think?). Anyways, the following year, they were hyping it up for a "threepeat" but the season ended in a strike over salaries. It seemed absolutely ridiculous to me that these millionaires were complaining about not making enough money.

Athletes are role models. Whatever happened to sportsmanship, and playing for the "love of the game?"

 

[BrainyBeauty]

Point-Counterpoint

Well, there actually is something wrong with it and while you may say that you do not begrudge them their outrageous salaries, there are several reasons why I believe you should. Let me explain.

First of all, there is a big difference between actors and athletes. While it is equally as ridiculous that a movie star can earn $20 million for one movie, at least it can be somewhat justified because the chances are very good that the movie will more than make up that cost at the box office. Mel Gibson getting $20 million is a drop in the bucket for the producers and the studios who stand to rake in $100+ million for that one film. Sad but true. Also remember that the price of your ticket has increased to an average of $10 to offset these costs.

On the other hand, sports franchises are hurting across the board. Only the top 3 or 4 clubs (in each sport) are able to turn a profit. This is due to the inequities in the industry's broadcast revenues. The huge dollars are paid only to the largest markets (NY, Chicago, Atlanta) The influx of cash that their huge audience numbers command are good for them but are death to the smaller cities. The remaining teams are not only not turning a profit - most struggle to break even and a large number of them are grossly in the red and are threatened with becoming insolvent.

Furthermore, paying exorbitant salaries will never provide the owners of sports franchises with a return on investment. Sure, there will be a temporary spike in attendance (for the novelty factor of seeing a hired gun/free agent) but eventually things will settle down and return to normal. And, besides, ticket sales have never been responsible for much revenue (even after the seemingly annual ticket price increases)

Advertising rates and television broadcast rights are the primary means for ball clubs to make their money.

Still you say why should you care? You don't go to games or you don't pay for tickets you say. That is pretty naive. I'm pretty sure that you drink soft drinks or beer. You eat hot dogs and hamburgers and pretzels and other foods. Don't you? Well, prices for those are raised -both at the stadiums AND the grocery stores.

So who ends up paying? You do. Even if you don't support the team at the turnstile, you listen on the radio or watch on tv. Well, the tv stations make their money by increasing what they charge for commercial air time. The sponsors, in turn, jack up the prices on their products to pay for those higher ad rates. The grocery stores or concession stands also join in. It is a vicious cycle.

So, yes you do pay for these outrageous contracts whether you realize it or not. That is why you should be outraged and not complacent and why you shouldn't just shrug and say, Oh well, it's not my concern!

 

[Chuckus]

Re: Point-Counterpoint

Well, there actually is something wrong with it and while you may say that you do not begrudge them their outrageous salaries, there are several reasons why I believe you should. Let me explain.

You hit the nail on the head and what a shame that it is like that. You are in fact correct, if not totally at least to a HUGE degree. It is just a sad state of affairs that an athlete makes more than a teacher or Police Officer or someone who really makes a difference, not that these athletes don't have impact in a lesser degree in other ways.....anywhoodle. I just think it is a shame that these athletes make all this EXHORBINANT (sp?) money while the people who teach our children, protect us from ourselves and protect us from each other make a miniscule fraction.

I guess in retrospect or whatever, these athletes better get it while they can, because sooner or later the pool will dry up and there will be no food for the fish!!!

 

[pistol pete]

they don't call him A-Rod for nothing ( i believe it stands for Anaconda) so you get your wish...
about the money...more power to him...
i don't believe in socialism...make as much as you can
as fast as you can...if that's what you want...
and A-Rod obviously wants !!!

 

[BrainyBeauty]

I am passionate about a lot of things......

LOL PP - ooh your name doesn't fare well in the world of abbreviations!

Not advocating socialism. Just trying to make a point. Movies have a worldwide audience - so millions of people see the product. Sporting events are limited to 32+ cities. The average fan has a hard time paying $200 to enjoy the product. The owners (and I don't really feel all that sorry for them either) are in a bind. Keep raising prices and alienate the target audience, or stop paying for the talent and put a losing product on the field and drive away the audience a different way. I don't think any of us will be winners if it comes down to just 3 or 4 cities or teams playing each other over and over.

I agree with you and Chuckus on one point tho. I am sure that if I were a young, athletically gifted male I would no doubt be out there with a killer agent trying to get as much money as I could. Absolutely, they should go for it. If they can get it, more power to them. Whatever the market will allow.

 

[pistol pete]

Re: I am passionate about a lot of things......

Brainybeauty...you make a great point...
I grew up in Pittsburgh...it breaks my heart to see those
stars nestle into the big cities...
it breaks my heart...
I'm in the Windy City now...blizzardsville...
big city...rich owners...horrible teams...
& the fans still show-up...that's entertainment...

 

[Thumper]

I can't blame him for taking it...

but ask me if I feel sorry for the owners? NOT! These guys are idiots. I am wondering if I can disguise this old Buick I have as a ball player? Put a big uniform on it and a helmet on the top...looks just like a Bengals offensive lineman. Most of the time just sitting there on the bench and when it is on the field defensive players are just running past it on the way to a sack.

If it was me...I would go abso-fuckin-lutely crazy with the money...

Dress up real scuzzy and walk into Tiffany's downtown...ask to look at the most expensive thing there.

Ask to test drive a Rolls or a Mercedes...

Walk the streets as a bum and if anyone has a kind word (unsolicited) slip him/her a couple hundred. Nasty comment would show them the money and say "Too bad"

Go to Children's hospital and go through their accounts and pay up on the ones with huge bills and no insurance...anonymously.

By a truck and trailer and go to the big food companies and buy truckloads and take it to the freestore/foodbank.

Damn...whole lotta stuff I can do...I figure I would try to leave this world with $10 in the bank. Any more is like still having tickets for the rides when the carnival closes...

Can't eat it...can't breathe it...can't drink it...

He ain't worth it...no one is...Go to a kids game and watch them play...or the parents fight...real live Springer LOL

 

[pistol pete]

you have a big heart...

& a sense of humor...give the guy a chance...
he may prove to be quite the humanitarian afterall...
i'm not saying he's worth it...
but if the owners are willing to pay...
_______________________________
i only steal from the fat & rich...
never from the widows or orphans or the poor.

 

[whatsinaname]

Ummmmm, so to all these people complaining about what he's making, if someone offered you $252 million to do your job, you'd tell them no? Thought not. You'd be right behind him at the bank depositing your first check Hopefully, I'd be someone in the middle of that, giggling like a virgin in a brothel

 

[Mustang Sally]

Ummmmm, so to all these people complaining about what he's making, if someone offered you $252 million to do your job, you'd tell them no? Thought not.

I think you've missed the point. Nobody's blaming him for accepting the offer. Rather, we're lamenting that such an offer was ever made. It's craziness.

 

[whatsinaname]

I think you've missed the point. Nobody's blaming him for accepting the offer. Rather, we're lamenting that such an offer was ever made. It's craziness.

Nah, I got the point But, I think that if people are willing to pay for his salary, then owners are justified in offering it. Yunno, if teachers across the United States all went on strike and demanded higher wages, then I'd bet they'd get a lot more money. I think someone said something about revenue generation in an earlier post. Hell, if we extrapolated that, and figured out how long a teacher would be working, and how many students they teach in that career, and the average median income of what the will earn...Did that make any sense? *lol*