Are they succombing to the pressure that the public places upon them to be the best? Is there a whole different existence at the level of celebrity that they live in, that changes their outlook on life and what's important? Does the adoration they get when they succeed, give their ego a high that's unlike anything else, and they become addicted to it?
I wonder if Michael Jordan isn't addicted to something other than when he had gambling trouble. I think that eventually everyone needs an outlet. People who would've lived a normal life if they weren't sports heroes, find themselves in strange circumstances and could go in directions they never thought they would ever dream. Like that hockey player who hired a hitman... I wonder if anything like that would've happened in his life had he gotten a job and lived a regular life...
Not to say that becoming a celebrity SHOULD put someone above the law or make them believe such, but it DOES appear that it is the trend... Celebrities are the Western world's royalty.
The combined salaries of some athletes could buy a country. Add the salaries of people in entertainment and you could wipe out poverty and and balance the American budget.
Example:
Oprah's contract is 100 Million a year for 10 years. Why does she need or for that matter deserve 1 billion dollars?
Why does a basball player deserve 150 million dollar contract?
This is why they can't fill the stands. It's become an event and not a sport.
"Those who know nothing of Islam pretend that Islam counsels against war. Those who say this are witless." ~Ayatollah Khomeini
Oprah is popular, and as a result, her production company can make oodles of cash. But Oprah has not been a plague upon society and has accepted her role-model status graciously and with humility and honor. Many sports stars don't want the role-model status off the court, but they want their star power to bring in the money when it comes time to sit at the negotiating table. There's a problem with that. I don't want to be a role model and I just want to live my life. But I want all the money I can get, even if it means using the same star power that girds me with that role-model status in order to get it... That's hipocritical, and quite foolish in my opinion.
I see a slight difference between Oprah and the average athlete. Oprah is at least working in general to better people's lives through healthy living alternatives, self-help programs, and her magazine that celebrates women and healthy living, etc. Oprah's trying to make a very specific difference in the country, and the world for that matter, in her own way. The typical athlete is playing a sport that they once loved, and they are looking to get paid as much as they can for doing what they love, whether they are a top athlete or not. A PERFECT example of the typical player's greed is the current state of the NHL lockout. The NHLPA refers to the 70's and 80's as the "dark ages" because player's salaries were far less than they are now, in relation to the percentage of profits that go towards player salaries. However, that's when I used to watch the game, because it was exciting and there was a sense of people playing more for the love of the game than anything else. Also, the players generally weren't poor. They still made a lot more than many lawyers and doctors made.
But, in a sense, do we as fans drive the market up in a way that facilitates all this clamoring for as much green as one can get?
12-12-2004 11:46 PM
