<p>With the recent news of Josh Childress signing a lucrative contract with a European team, now many NBA players are headed to Europe to make more money. There are rumors going around that in 2010, Kobe,Lebron, and Wade are going to go for 50 million over there. Also, you’ve all heard about all the off the field issues in the NFL and college football…so all these brings up the question…do you think sports superstars are in way over their head?</p>
<p>I mean think about it. These guys are above the law. Or act like it anyway. They have what millions of people would die for: lots of money and stability and yet they act like immature kids. They get paid GUARANTEED contracts for boatloads of money and don’t even have to perform (stephon marbury comes to mind or keith van horn so the jason kidd trade would work). I think there’s something ridiculously wrong with this picture. </p>
<p>Why do athletes get all this special treatment and why do we as a community allow them to have so much power? Why do we buy all those expensive tickets and watch all their games (i’m in a dilemma here b/c i’m a huge sports fan but i don’t buy jerseys or go to games i just watch on tv). but yeah, I was just wondering if someone could explain it to me and if you guys thought there was something wrong with this picture.</p>
<p>Athletes get special treatment because we treat them like heroes. Their success depends on us. </p>
<p>Stars of the lesser publicized sports aren’t as bad. Like, track runners and swimmers don’t get nearly as much cash flow; they’re the true inspirations.</p>
<p>And I’m not only saying that cause I run track :rolleyes:</p>
<p>It’s the same with all celebrities. Yes, they’re getting away with things the rest of us never could, and yes, that’s very frustrating. Hopefully at some point we will stop treating people like heroes unless they ARE.</p>
<p>I love athletes that are in the Olympics and what not, not the big shot basketball players, but like the gymnasts and what not.</p>
<p>However I do dislike NBA, MLB, etc sports stars for that reason. I don’t believe anyone should get paid crazy amounts of money like that for doing something they love. Sure I couldn’t do it, and they train a lot, and they should get paid to make a living, but in many cases its just plain excessive. I also highly dislike celebrities, and though I may watch a movie that looks good, I can’t tell you who was in it, and i certainly can’t tell you a darn thing about their life, because frankly, I couldn’t care less.</p>
<p>But all their huge amounts of money are due to the public who allows it, so. ;)</p>
<p>Athletes make money for a lot of people such as agents, owners, sponsors, etc. It’s only fair that they get their cut of the revenue they generate, especially considering their careers are extremely short and afterwards, they’ll have a hard time adjusting to the “real world”.</p>
<p>And there’s no way that LeBron or Kobe will go to Europe without first becoming old-timer NBA champions (or in Kobe’s case, a fourth-time Shaq-free champion). Otherwise, their entire legacies are at risk. They’re already incredibly wealthy; what they want now is legendary status, not a few more million dollars. Their latest ploys are an attempt to expand their global appeal, and perhaps use as leverage in their next contracts (though I seriously doubt LeBron or Kobe will have any trouble getting the max contract).</p>
<p>What a coincidence that it’s these 3 superstars who might opt to leave the NBA after coming off sour/dissapointing/bitter seasons. Kobe lost the NBA finals and faces pressure to win the gold at the Olympics to prove he can do it without Shaq, Dwayne lead his team to the worst record in the NBA only 2 years after winning the finals, and despite often being regarded as the best player since Jordan, Lebron has never won the NBA finals in his career. It wouldn’t be surprising if these 3 sat down and had a conversation to discuss their disappointments with the NBA. I hope and doubt these aren’t all the reasons they might choose choose to leave for Europe, but if they do, they certainly will come off as greedy brats after the star treatment and hero worship they have received in North America over the years.</p>
<p>People don’t realize that an athlete’s career is limited to 10-15 years. No one cares for an athlete after he’s left the spotlight (I’m not saying “she” because not only are female athletes not as acclaimed, political correctness these days is ridiculous).</p>
<p>Also I suggest the OP should MTFU. The sports business would be perfect if certain other corporation types (which I will not mention to prevent this thread from de-railing) that profit off advertising at these venues would cease to exist…</p>
<p>And that’s just the first example of unselfishness that comes to mind. So yes, while some athletes(like Michael Vick) are idiots, there are many others that are not. We just never hear about them because they’re too busy working extremely hard to ensure their success.</p>