Many of us here are employees or workers. While a few of us here I'm sure are very professional and try to do the best job we can, even going beyond expectations, I don't think I am saying anything shocking to suggest that many of us don't really care except to do a decent enough job not to get fired and collect our paychecks in order to enjoy our time off the job. It's a bit unusual for the normal rank and file employee to be all that passionate about their work, its just a way to collect a paycheck. Now I think that to a large extent that applies to pro-athlete employees of pro-sports corporations. Yes they make much more money than most of us normal employees but that is all the more reason to believe that many pro-athletes don't care about pushing themselves to the max and helping their teams succeed. Sure fans care because that is what being a fan is all about. But I sometimes wonder if many pro-athletes don't just go throught the motions and don't give a damn about how the organization does on the field.
I've wondered the same thing sometimes. I know if I played professional sports I would be trying every day to get better because I am competitive by nature. In these days of modern sports where trades happen constantly and teams look drastically different from year to year, I believe that it is harder for teams to establish a dynamic where each player doesn't want to let down the team. I guess this is why I've been more interested in college sports lately. The players on those teams would take a bullet for some of their teammates.
Being a "winner" translates directly into more money for the players, even the non-superstars. Look at a guy like Steve Kerr or Paxson. Players who get stuck with the "loser" tag are not going to do so well financially (see: Shareef Abdur-Rahim). So, in addition to the thrill of victory that amateur athletes get, there is a financial incentive to helping the team win. It should also be noted that there is financial incentive for helping your college team win in the major money sports. Good teams get more players drafted, which gets those players millions of dollars.
Great question. I've wondered about the same thing. I think that most all pro athletes (on contending teams) really want to win for the sake of the thrill of victory. This can be evidenced by players taking less money to play for a contending team. When on the field, most players are not thinking about money, but how they can win the game. Money is what happens off the field, unless you're on a losing team, so you can rationalize going out there every day to earn your pay and put on a good show for the fans. In my opinion, the big difference that occurs once big salaries are introduced at the pro level, vs. amateur sports is that pro players don't take the losses as hard as at the amateur level. The reason why is because this is your job and there will always be next year. It would be unhealthy to take every loss so hard, even when you come up short in the playoffs or championship game. Amateur players are in it solely for the competion and to succeed. Coming up short on team goals can be devastating for many players. There's that feeling that you may never get another chance for the glory.
how many of us took up sports as a kid b/c of the money? probably almost none of us. well, professional athletes pretty much come exclusively from that same population. they got into it b/c they loved it. of course there will always be tall people who play basketball just b/c they happen to be good and don't really give a damn, or big people who play football b/c they do it well and don't give a damn, but not that many. basically, pros are just the people who got into a sport and then happened to develop the body necessary to play at the highest level. money of course enters the equation at some point but at those dollar amounts, it's really more about respect than money. i'm sure occasionally pros stop caring if they're on a crappy team but most still go out and play and try to win every game. as far as college versus pro, the enthusiasm/passion angle is always played up b/c people like to connect to the college players and pretend they're still pure, but it's mostly bogus. nfl players are busting their ass just as hard as college football players. the reason i like the nfl less is it's just more boring and far too conservative for my tastes. almost no teams take any chances. but that's not b/c they don't care.
Steamin' Willie Beamen: "I look at those pictures on the wall, and I just see ghosts. When I'm done with the game, or the game is done with me, I don't wanna be a ghost on the wall. I want more than that" Word...
I dunno, I really wonder sometimes. What would be some really good examples of players either here in Houston or anyway that clearly just approached sports like a job and clearly didn't give a damn about winning?.
YEA alot of these guys dont care, some just want the big paychecks. then u got the real, genuine athletes who WANT to win , to compete, to do all they can for their team. i am proud to have one of those guys on my team. YAO MING.
There are numerous athletes who are quoted as saying it's a business, it's a job, I've gotta feed my family, etc. To truly know how much an athlete cares about winning, you have to look inside his heart. I based my assumption on the fact that athletes are just like everyday folks. And, just like every da folks, some care only about themselves, and some care about the success of their compnay. As I stated, I think the number that mainly care about themselves are few and the vast majority truly care about the success of hteir team.
I imagine some of the athletes who don't care are simply jaded by the business they are in. Many owners don't care about winning and only care about the bottom line. If you have that kind of attitude at the top, there's no reason to expect that it won't trickle down to some of the players.
Athletes get a bad rap from the "average joe" in my opinion. I mean, let's face it, I'm willing to bet that if one of us were to get some ridiculous raise, we'd hop all over it and switch companies to do it. Their job is no different really in that respect. But here's the kicker - even if they do a good job, they can still get traded to another team (company). When's the last time you had to worry about moving from Houston to Toronto and working for another company because you got traded? If the companies these players play for are out to better themselves (and they should be) by trading these players, then these players have every right to go after money and better themselves. It's already been mentioned, but not everyone on this board wants to be a CEO of a company. I mean honestly, what do you think the percentage of people is that, driving home from work, ask themselves "gosh, I wonder what I could do tomorrow to make my company better?" My guess would be that it isn't a very high percentage. I'm guessing a large portion of the populace in their early 20's are more concerned about parties, getting drunk, etc. than climbing the corporate ladder or bettering themselves. Why should athletes be any different? Lastly, pro sports is different than the workplace where you or I work. It's a business where its personnel are commodities to be bought and sold. If you or I quit our jobs, we can easily be replaced. This isn't necessarily true in pro sports.
