Two of the three biggest sports in North America are in industrial dispute. The NFL lockout has been in effect since March 11. The NBA lockout began at the start of July. In Australia, the AFL are at loggerheads with the players association over a new collective bargaining agreement. Looking at European soccer we see players who are pampered beyond belief and move clubs at thes suggestion of more money.
What makes it worse and relieves the players of some blame, is that owners and administrators are prepared to offer stupid and unsustainable wages to attract 'talent'. This is the cause of most of the NBA teams being over the notional 'salary cap' and 17 making losses last year. Many European football clubs have similar problems, but have a sugar-daddy to cover the loss. In Australia, as in many parts of the world, the governemnt is heavily complicit in all this. Governements here provide stadiums, training facilities and various other ridiculous grants to professional sports teams. As a taxpayer I find this unconscionable. If they can get a multi-billion dollar media rights deal, then they can build their own stadiums. The public utility is bugger all. This has started to happen in North America and is part of the current NFL dispute. Team owners have to pay a bit more than rent for their stadiums and it's cutting profitablity.
The pampered children that are known in sports talk as the 'playing group' always want more. I think they forget that all the sports science, hotel rooms, buffets and gyms cost money too. The continual argument is that a sportman doesn't have a long career and needs a lifetime's worth of money is crap. Most people change jobs and industry during their life. The top graduate at a law firm doesn't get upwards of $200K on potential like a professional athlete. Never mind if you're hopeless at being a footballer, you'll still see all the money from the contract. No accounting grad has that luxury in their first two or three years.
I don't ususally stick up for the default Aussie (the tradesman), but they run a risk of injury every day at work, the are involved in physical activity every day, but they don't have a nutritionost telling them what to eat. They don't ask the Master builders Association for a pension fund. Amazingly their unions understand that there is superannuation and the government pension already in existence. Maybe the difference is that tradies don't have a greedy manager taking 5-10% and encouraging risky investments in businesses they don't understand.
Many in North America can't believe that there are millionaire versus billionaire lockouts in two sports at a time when the economy is so bad. The guy selling hot dogs at stadiums is in for a tough time.
So suck it up pro-sports people. I defend your right to put your hand out for more, but sometimes you need to be aware of the bigger picture. Wages can't always go up, especially when you are asking for other lurks and perks. Owners and managers - try running your business properly. I don't know why company directors don't ever get jail time when they bankrupt a sports team by paying negligent wages. Lastly, governments should spend money on sports participation, not spectators and pampered professionals.
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