Football is over halfway done, basketball just began, and baseball teams are trying to sign and resign players during its offseason. The athletes in these associations make millions upon millions of dollars a year. In the 2009-2010 season, the lowest payroll amounts for the NFL, NBA, and MLB, respectively, were the Kansas City Chiefs at $81,829,650, the Los Angeles Clippers at $32,158,856, and the Pittsburg Pirates' with $34,943,000 (USAtoday.com).
Each league also has a minimum wage that every athlete must earn. And obviously, it is no where NEAR the federal minimum wage. According to careerbuilder.com, for the 2009 season, the NFL's minimum wage was $310,000, the MLB started at $400,000, and the NBA began at $457,588. On a side note, the NHL's starting salary was the highest at $500,000.
What about limits on how much a team can pay for players?
Until recently, the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL all had salary caps. Due to team owners opting out of the collective bargaining agreement, during the current season, with the players' union, the NFL currently does not have a salary cap. The MLB uses the "luxury tax" method, which basically means there is a limit and a team can exceed that limit but they will pay a luxury tax on the total amount over the limit.
This all leads up to the big question....are they worth what they are paid?
With the recent negotiations with MLB free agent, Derek Jeter, I was inspired to talk about this topic. Jeter and his agent were asking for a 4-6 year contract and $22-$24 million a year. And they still thought he was worth more than that. But if you look at his stats from this past season, it was one of his worst seasons and yet, he still felt he was worth more than $24 million. As of today, ESPN was reporting that he was coming close to signing a 3-year contract at $17 million a year.
Then there is Michael Crabtree in the NFL, who held out for half of the 2009 season for the San Francisco 49ers and was willing to sit out the whole season so he could re-enter the draft because he felt he was worth more than the $23 million that the Oakland Raiders guaranteed to their first draft pick, Darrius Heyward-Bey. Crabtree finally agreed to a 6-year contract at $32 million, with a guarantee of $17 million in October of 2009.
These players often think they are worth more than they really are. They haven't played a professional game and seem to think they should be paid the same as other athletes who have been in the league for years. Athletes need to prove that they are worth what they are asking for. What if a team agrees to some contract paying a ridiculous amount of money and within a couple games, the player gets a season-ending or, even worse, a career ending injury? They are going to be paid all this money to sit on a bench and the team has to pay that player for nothing. It becomes pointless.
There should be a probationary period for rookies in any sport. Any typical job has one so why should professional sports be any different? It should be one-third of whatever their contract is. It gives them a chance to prove themselves and to be held accountable for their performance, as well as their physical and mental health. And if they happen to get injured, the team won't waste more money than they would have been.
For example, the number one 2010 NFL draft pick, Sam Bradford, signed a record breaking contract for a rookie: a 6-year, $78 million dollar deal with a guarantee of $50 million. When you look at his numbers for the season so far, he has held up his end of the deal. He ties a record for the most touchdowns in eight games by a rookie and holds the record for the most consecutive passes without an interception for a rookie. And on November 28, he became the first rookie to pass for 300 yards and three touchdowns without an interception during a win on the road.
On the other side of the spectrum, lets look at last years' number one NFL draft pick, Matthew Stafford. His 6-year contract was for $41.7 million and he started 10 games out of the season. He was injured in week 4 and was out for two weeks. In November, he threw 5 touchdowns, which made him the youngest quarterback to do so, and when his season ended on Christmas Eve, he had thrown or ran for a touchdown in those 10 games. But at the start of season two, he injured his shoulder in the season opener. He came back on Halloween but then re-injured his shoulder a week later. So he's being paid all that money after only playing in 13 games in two years. Yes, when he did play he was doing a pretty good job but it doesn't change the fact that he has yet to complete an entire season.
Bottom line...Professional athletes need to get off their high horses and take what is offered to them. They also need a probationary period like any other job out there. And If they think they are worth more than what they are offered, then they need to prove it in their probationary period.
