Emphasis Preaching Journal

Salaries in professional sports have skyrocketed the last twenty years so that even mediocre athletes in some sports are millionaires. Some of the best make fifteen to twenty million dollars a year for their performance on field or court, and even more in product endorsements. Some are even able to moonlight as movie stars, perhaps adding a name rather than talent to the production. There are times when reading the sports page is much like reading the business section of the newspaper. How do players from earlier times respond to today's sports economy? I read of one who commented that the salaries today are obscene and have helped destroy team spirit and loyalty, and that generally the players today are less deserving of the money than the players of his time because they are not as talented and do not work as hard. Another former player interviewed on ESPN commented that he thought it was wonderful that players were being compensated as generously as they were. He thought that the skill level and entertainment value of today's players is such that they are deserving of what the market will pay. As for himself, he stated that he was satisfied with what he received as a player, a generous salary for the early '60s, and was thankful he had the opportunity to play major league baseball. I do not know these former ballplayers as individuals, nor can I attest to the sincerity of their comments. But if they had been at this parable's payday, who do you think would be grumbling, and who would be nodding his head in agreement at the point of the parable?
-- Olson