January 2002 - March 2004 - The Jerry Quarry Foundation

playing, is clearly tempered by hidden resentment, and later by indifference if
they fall on hard times. This has been hard on players who actually thought all
those people loved him for ~him~. Boxing is loosely "controlled," and
fighters are not concentrated under the financial umbrella/control of owners as
is the case in the big four. There is no union, or joining together of fighters
of any sort, to exert pressure. Unlike other pro sports, you don't have to be
good to fight professionally, so those fighters don't have a bargaining position
at all.One can debate till the cows come home whether athletes (or
entertainers of any sort) should make the kind of money they do, but that's the
way it is, and the owners of the team sports (and promoters in the individual
sports of golf and tennis) make out like hounds, so why not? The McCaskey
family, who own the Chicago Bears, make in the neighborhood of fifty million a
year, AFTER taxes, salaries, and various other expenses. |
|3/5/04 04:52:57 PM|Angelo|Washington, DC||funktron@yahoo.com||||10|RS:
Shouldn't the owners make the lion's share? They take all the financial risk to
put themselves in a position to aquire a franchise, then they shouldn't make a
lot of money? Why not? The players deserve a high salary because they put the
fans in the seats. If the salaries go too high, or the owners get to greedy, or
both, and ticket prices skyrocket---fans always have the option of not
supporting the sport. If the NFL goes nuts and decides to make the Super Bowl
pay per view, or if regular season games no longer appear on broadcast TV,
again, the fans control their own wallets and can find something else to do on
Sundays. But as long as people can afford the product, and want to support it,
I say more power to the owners and players.Now, on the topic of former
boxers and former athletes in general: What "hidden resentment" are you
referring to? I think fans who resent athletes salaries/success/lifestyles
don't keep it hidden, they definitely give their opinion. And after an
athlete's retirement, in most cases, the fans are still mesmorized. They'll pay
money at card shows to have old timers sign something. They'll buy former
players drinks at a bar. Hell, they'll even HIRE unqualified people because
they have great memories of when these people competed at a high level. No, I
don't think retired athletes have it bad because of any hidden resentment.
Instead, I think it's because they become accustomed to, and expect God-like
treatment and let's face it, when they're no longer playing, they just aren't as
relavant. And when they stop playing and stop making the huge money, if they
burned it all having a life that most wage slaves can only dream about, what are
we supposed to do about it, pitch in so they can have a new Escalade? That isn't
hidden resentment talking, it's reality. For every Larry Holmes, who invested
wisely, stayed grounded, and now owns businesses has the respect of his
community, I'm sure there's a Mike Tyson who "went Hollywood" and spent every
nickel he made on tasteless crap. It's not the fans' fault. |
|3/5/04 07:48:14 PM|Kent |La Habra, Ca||kentallenent@aol.com||||10|But what
about someone like Ernie Lopez, who came along before the really big money came
pouring in? I thought that is what we were taling about.|
|3/5/04 10:38:55 PM|Roadscholarette|Chicago||usual||||10|RS: Shouldn't the
owners make the lion's share? >Yes, they should. It really isn't much of
a risk to own a big time team, and the fact that owners are making windfall
profits justifies the salaries of the other participants in the food chain, the
athletes. It's a rich market place, and everyone should grab all they can. Is it
silly to make millions for playing a kids' game? Of course it is, but those are
the values that are supported by society in great enough numbers to allow the
situation to exist.The players deserve a high salary because they put
the fans in the seats.>And the public demands winners and thrills. A bit
of trivia: you could buy an NFL team for $50,000 back in the league's early
days. Now, the top franchises would sell for close to a billion.fans
always have the option of not supporting the sport.>That doesn't happen
though. Fans stop coming when teams are consistently lousy, and not even then,