GETTING REAL PAID: ATHLETES AND THEIR DOUGH

By: B

I find it awfully easy to play Devil's Advocate when everyone else in the world has gone insane. I know, I know, a pretty crass statement to make, but let me tone it down to the insanity revolving around one particular issue: athlete's salaries.

I can't stand when people complain about how overpaid athletes are. Well, let me amend that. If someone is lamenting about how overpaid Larry Johnson or Juwan Howard is, I can understand. They are getting paid a heap of clams to basically stink. The problem I have is the garden-variety complaint that athletes in general are overpaid. These people must have never taken a simple economics class.

It's all in the supply and demand chart. If the demand is high and/or the supply is low, something is going to be valued more. When looking for a center in basketball, a power-hitting centerfielder or a burly right wing, there aren't many to choose from. And since a successful team can garner millions of dollars in revenue, let's just say the demand is a little higher than a house painter or administrative assistant.

To claim that athletes are overpaid is, albeit crudely and indirectly, claiming that the supply and demand chart doesn't make sense. And you better be careful saying that in front of economics instructors, they'll likely claw your eyes out.

Does this make sense to no one but myself? Why is it so popular to bash professional athletes for making so much money? Remember that the guy paying his salary has much more money than the athlete, and chances are they didn't have to work so damn hard or put up with so much pressure for the dough. Hell, it might not have even been obtained ethically (see Carl Pohlad).

Wanna know why Alex Rodriguez gets paid more than anyone else in baseball? Because no one else can do his job as well as he can. Wanna know why teachers don't make very much money? Because there are plenty of people in the world who can do their job. Sorry to say it, but that's the truth. Teachers are replaceable, A-Rod is not. Deal with it.

Another gem coming from the mouths of ignorant and short-sighted sports fans is the complaint about athletes switching teams. They say there's no loyalty anymore. There's just more demand, people! Do you honestly expect an athlete to give up on millions of dollars just to stay loyal to a team that could trade him anytime they wanted? Keep in mind that many of these athletes are considered lucky to be in the league when they're 35 years old. If they don't make their money in a hurry, they might not make it at all. It's a tough biz, and to make it you gotta swing, baby.

If you are under 30 years old and someone offers you twice the amount of money at a different job, what would you do? Stay at your current job because of your coworkers? No coworker is worth sacrificing millions of dollars for. Let's be real. I know it's popular for the athletes to say that their organization is like family, but it's not. The only thing that is family is family. And they need to be cared for first.

This isn't high school, where these athletes are playing with their best friends. It's the pros, and many of the athletes don't even live in the towns they play in. They already have friends, they don't need more. If I was offered a large sum of money to go write editorials for another college, I'd be gone. It's a sad world we live in, but it isn't going to change.

I am not saying money is the most important thing in the world, but I would say that reasonable people place more of a premium for financially caring for their loved ones than playing with teammates they really like.

Jim Thome was paid $30 million more to move his family from Cleveland to Philadelphia. He liked the organization at Cleveland so much that he had trouble making this decision. Thankfully, for his and his family's future, he made the right one.

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