Hey! Must Be The Money?

Maybe I just do not understand.

Why (maybe I should say "how") do athletes tend to always go for the money when it comes to building a new contract?

I know. You might be thinking, "why not for go for the big pay out?" So, you mean that the big pay out is more important, more trustworthy, more potent, more exciting, more optimal, and more than playing or winning a "world" championship?

My beef is that players make the wrong decisions almost 100% of the time. There have been a few occasions when professional athletes have switched teams and opted to go to another team either for less pay or for more pay and make a championship appearance or win one: LeBron James and Chris Bosh (still pending), Shaq (still pending), Cliff Lee (made an appearance), Marian Hossa (won a Stanley Cup).

Then, there are players like Amar'e Stoudemire who received more money by switching to the New York Knicks. They're abysmal this year (again). I dread news that arrives when a good player on a good team seeks other options to join a mediocre team for more money. It tells me that winning a "world" title does not mean a thing. Tell that to Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Scott Niedermayer, and some others who have negotiated their contracts to come back and win a title.

It's a different story when a good or bad team simply dumps or releases a player. Free agency seems to hurt the sport and others. There must be something bigger than pushing for the dollars!

So, I am not a professional athlete. Never have been. It was a dream when I was younger. It's a reality that I realize would not occur years ago. I love working out like an athlete. I love sports. Grew up playing sports. I'll try basically any sport that I never have played at a competitive level. I'll watch virtually any type of sporting event. But, the one thing I cannot comprehend is a hoopla of money over a potential title. I guess one is guaranteed, and the other is unpredictable. The prediction should be greater than the guarantee in this case.

I'd rather retire from a sport without a title, with millions of dollars made, and with many people talking about my skills (Stockton, Iverson - he's not entirely gone) than retire without a title, make tens of millions of dollars, and be a team-to-team money (not title) chaser.

Derek