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Enough Already


kryptonite
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I am a Major in the Army. I spent 13 years as an Infantry officer. The past 4 years as a Chaplain. If I were back on active duty I would make roughly $70 a year. I have to wait 3 more years for 20 or 13 more for mandatory 30 year retirement.

 

My peers have seen bullets flying at them.

I have seen some crazy stuff in the past decade that I will not share here.

 

I am sickened at these NFL folks who need to make so much money.

 

This is exactly why I go to one baseball game a year. Who are these clowns? Why do they need to make so much money? Why do we keep giving them this much money? Why do we believe they need so much money and that they deserve it? For what? Playing a game of contact football?

 

There are men and women who have lost their limbs fighting (whether they believe in the cause they were fighting or not) (whether you believe politically in the cause or not) and have sacrificed. Some have paid the ultimate price. Young enlisted men and women who make less (made less) than 30K a year and are now on permanent disability.

 

I recall several NFL types speak of how the "real heroes" are the ones serving our nation....I guess they and Gene Upshaw have forgottent that this "JOB" of theirs is entertainment....

 

And quite frankly, I do not know why anyone should / derseves to make so much money BEFORE they have even taken a NFL snap...guaranteed money up front....c'mon....Soldiers get their money AFTER they have served....rookies enter the NFL and some do not sign, some get a crazy signing bonus...for what? And players who never get into the playoffs or teams with a crappy record making so much money already....I guess someone told them they deserve more....Go Texans! Go 49ers! Your great record last season means you should truly make more....

 

I am not sorry for ranting...but I am just tired of these guys "deserving" so much money for doing what any of us on this board would do for a fraction of their game check.....

 

Again, regardless of what one might think politically of the military deployed in harms way...these men and women are fighting to stay alive and are no where close to collecting a pension after 4 NFL years....this is a joke! A sick joke. I am disgusted by this nonsense. I wonder if I am alone in this thought. I never joined the Army for the pay....I knew it would not make me rich....but I believed in what I was doing...I believed in my team....and served for an idea that is greater than me.

 

And we knew how to take care of people who were disruptive in the locker room! It simply was not tolerated.

 

I may not post a lot...I read most every day on the boards....I am a fan of the game....but enough already....there is so much more to life than whether or not these guys are a gazillionaires......

 

Feel free to disagree...I am not trying to convince anyone....just give another perspective to the idea that the sky is falling....CBA.....what a joke.....

 

I am going to go watch the Replacements.....LOL.....

 

:D

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I certainly agree almost whole heartedly with the points you make. However, NFL players make the money they make because they have god-given talents that we regular joe's just don't have. They get paid because their talent gets a$$es in the stands (which by the way why are they called stands when people sit?) :D Certainly anyone of us who are athletes, like myself, would love to be in their cleats and play in the NFL. However, we're not there because we simply don't possess the same abilities, so of course we would take a fraction of the pay we're a fraction of the ability in most cases. Whereas, in the military you could hand an 18 yr. old a rifle and ship him off to war with some basic training. GOOD LUCK!! I get your point though soldiers are fighting for the greater good putting their life on the line and giving up family, jobs, etc. for their and everyones' freedom so therefore, they should be compensated as much if not more than athletes. However, they're not bringing in the money they're just trying to keep things in the world status quo.

 

These certainly aren't my feelings on the way things should be, just society's.

Edited by irish
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When some (not all) people reach the stratospheric levels of riches that some pro sports folks do, they tend to lose their grip on reality. One of the most risible quotes I've heard in recent years was from Lattrell Sprewell, who, when talking about a $14m contract from the Timberwolves, said that he "had a family to feed". Pretty much got him laughed out of town and now he doesn't play in the NBA.

 

All of that said, the owners also are a bunch of greedy pigs, as is the NFL in general. Part of me actually wants the whole filthy edifice to collapse.

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Good post. While i agree with your points, i am not going to condemn any of them for their actions. We can all sit back and say, we'd do it for less and so on and so fourth, we can all say if we made it to Washington we'd make a difference. The fact is , many if not most people would be swayed by the big money, it's a part of life. Greed and self promotion are more previlant in our society then honesty and it's sad, but acceptable.

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I think the other thing that people forget is the level of self assuredness (read: self promotion, self centered, etc.) that a world class athlete must have to compete at the highest level. This would certainly lend to the "I'm worth so much more" type of attitudes we see that are prevalent in sports.

 

While I agree wholeheartedly with kryptonite's post, unfortunately societal impact or contribution is not equitable money wise. It is like actors/actresses,...the entertainment industry is hugh because we buy in to it as a whole. Think about it...if cops, firemen, health care workers didn't go to work...how many people would be affected? Oh...I'd say a heckuva lot more people than if a player's union went on strike.

 

And...I typically side with the owners...they put the money up for the risk, the players are employees. I don't go to the founder of my company and tell him I should be making more because I go to work. While I do understand the differences (players put people in the stands), I think you get my point.

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I would like to know what there profit margins are? I wonder how much ticket prices will be going up as a result.

 

I don't fault the players either. As in any buisness it is supply and demand. People will still pay, they will still sellout.

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while i understand what your saying...and relate. I dont think I agree with you, yes i find its funny that these guys are crying over millions but thier business generates a rediculous amount of money...unlike the military, or any other civial service job. if you generate aton of money you can expect to paid aton of money

 

The fact is the nfl is entertainment, and i love to be entertained...and when there is a chance that the it goes from being the NFL to "no holds bar WWF XFL style free angency" i want to know about every minute of those talks.

 

I never joined the Army for the pay....I knew it would not make me rich....but I believed in what I was doing...I believed in my team....and served for an idea that is greater than me.

 

exactly, and how many of these athletes can say the same...i joined for the same reasons...and wouldnt change a thing.

 

I guess i dont understand all the hate for athletes who make alot of money...if it wasnt for big money sport i dont know what id be doing...guess trying to figure out the best starting lineup of three girls and boys for my "american idol fanatsy league" :D

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There are men and women who have lost their limbs fighting (whether they believe in the cause they were fighting or not) (whether you believe politically in the cause or not) and have sacrificed.  Some have paid the ultimate price.

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You mean mean like Pat Tillman? You know, one of those greedy NFL players you're talking about who joined up, only to be killed by friendly fire!

Now the Army is conducting a criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death to determine if it was negligent homicide.

www.cnn.com

Or of course there's Rocky Blier, the Steelers RB whose feet were blown up in Nam. Just wondering, but how many of the Owners or their immediate family, have served?

 

I hate blanket statements about the "Greedy Players" without acknowledging the truly exceptional individuals the NFL is composed of as well.

 

To me, what is far worse than an NFL player who has trained their whole life to get to this level and reap the rewards, is the CEO Fat Cats of multi million dollar corporations crying doom & gloom and asking for and getting multi million dollar concessions from their average rank & file John Q Public worker, while at the same time secretly insuring that their own pensions are Bankruptcy Proof and giving themselves ridiculous bonuses while the company hemorrhages cash.

 

I also don't like essentially publicly financed bail outs of big Company's like K-Mart. They're on the verge of collapse so they apply for Bankruptcy protection and all debts are forgiven (How come John Q Public can't do that anymore?). K-Mart then closes several unprofitable stores (shouldn't management have done this before the company teetered on the brink of going under?) emerges from Bankruptcy debt free and proceeds to acquire SEARS.

 

The reason I say K-Mart's bail out is publicly financed is because the debt K-Mart wad forgiven will ultimately be recouped. It will be in the forms of higher % rate future loans with the trickle down effect eventually reaching into the pockets of John Q Public.

 

That ticks me off far, far, far more than a relative handful of individuals, that happen to be NFL players, working to get the best pay they can.

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I would like to know what there profit margins are?

1352624[/snapback]

 

 

The Green Bay Packers as a publicly owned Company released their earnings.

 

Last year their Net Profit was $25,000,000.00. That's from a small market club!

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To me, what is far worse than an NFL player who has trained their whole life to get to this level and reap the rewards, is the CEO Fat Cats of multi million dollar corporations crying doom & gloom and asking for and getting multi million dollar concessions from their average rank & file John Q Public worker, while at the same time secretly insuring that their own pensions are Bankruptcy Proof and giving themselves ridiculous bonuses while the company hemorrhages cash.

 

I also don't like essentially publicly financed bail outs of big Company's like K-Mart. They're on the verge of collapse so they apply for Bankruptcy protection and all debts are forgiven (How come John Q Public can't do that anymore?). K-Mart then closes several unprofitable stores (shouldn't management have done this before the company teetered on the brink of going under?) emerges from Bankruptcy debt free and proceeds to acquire SEARS.

 

The reason I say K-Mart's bail out is publicly financed is because the debt K-Mart wad forgiven will ultimately be recouped. It will be in the forms of higher % rate future loans with the trickle down effect eventually reaching into the pockets of John Q Public.

 

That ticks me off far, far, far more than a relative handful of individuals, that happen to be NFL players, working to get the best pay they can.

 

1352646[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

 

+1

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The Green Bay Packers as a publicly owned Company released their earnings.

 

Last year their Net Profit was $25,000,000.00. That's from a small market club!

 

1352649[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

This is why I enjoy football over the NY Yankees and baseball. Baseball is dead in the water.

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:D Poor Major only makes $70,000 a year! I seem to survive okay on E-5 pay.

 

Know what I hate more than greedy owners and athletes? Military members who use the current wartime environment to make themselves seem more entitled. :D

 

If you weren't an avid NFL fan, you wouldn't be a Huddler. So, as an avid NFL fan, you're judging the league for being too rich? What do you think is the source of all this "revenue" they're fighting over? YOU. ME. All of us.

 

Don't you want your spent money to be distributed FAIRLY amongst all the NFL parties involved? If you don't care, then stop paying attention to it. If you do care, then you shouldn't be all fired about about the negotiations.

 

Most of all, however, leave your military status out of discussions such as this. Being in the Armed Forces doesn't automatically make you more special than anybody else. Your salary as a military member has no bearing on ANYTHING regarding sports. In fact, if I wanted to reach for some correlation, the only thing I could come up with would be that, as a military member, you're paid to defend our free, capitalistic society -- the very entity that dictates how rich athletes and franchise owners are.

 

The military is a volunteer service. You joined for a reason. So did I. If you don't think you're being paid what you're "worth", you should have entered the private sector a long time ago. And, if you did, you'd have every right to find a job that pays you your fair market value -- just like athletes and owners.

 

First, stop your whining. Then, appreciate the fact that you have something as awesome as the NFL to provide you with a sweet escape to the rigors of military life. :D

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it's the water-diamond paradox of market economics

 

http://www.mises.org/fullstory.aspx?control=1584

 

(and Krypto, thank you)  :D

 

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"The very same people who remind us over and over that a person's income is no measure of his or her intrinsic worth, are the ones who complain the loudest over this country's "priorities" when it comes to salaries. But if we are already agreed that a person's salary has no relation to moral worth or social importance, then why is the teacher (or nurse, fire fighter, etc.) entitled to more money than the professional athlete?"

 

:D

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:D Poor Major only makes $70,000 a year! I seem to survive okay on E-5 pay.

 

Know what I hate more than greedy owners and athletes? Military members who use the current wartime environment to make themselves seem more entitled.  :D

 

If you weren't an avid NFL fan, you wouldn't be a Huddler. So, as an avid NFL fan, you're judging the league for being too rich? What do you think is the source of all this "revenue" they're fighting over? YOU. ME. All of us.

 

Don't you want your spent money to be distributed FAIRLY amongst all the NFL parties involved? If you don't care, then stop paying attention to it. If you do care, then you shouldn't be all fired about about the negotiations.

 

Most of all, however, leave your military status out of discussions such as this. Being in the Armed Forces doesn't automatically make you more special than anybody else. Your salary as a military member has no bearing on ANYTHING regarding sports. In fact, if I wanted to reach for some correlation, the only thing I could come up with would be that, as a military member, you're paid to defend our free, capitalistic society -- the very entity that dictates how rich athletes and franchise owners are.

 

The military is a volunteer service. You joined for a reason. So did I. If you don't think you're being paid what you're "worth", you should have entered the private sector a long time ago. And, if you did, you'd have every right to find a job that pays you your fair market value -- just like athletes and owners.

 

First, stop your whining. Then, appreciate the fact that you have something as awesome as the NFL to provide you with a sweet escape to the rigors of military life.  :D

 

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+1 this E-5 couldnt of said it better...and this out of a non-ers mouth ;P

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Regarding Swiss' post. I agree.

 

I'm tired of my coworker's husband who cloaks himself in the glory of the American warrior.

 

In actuality, before he enlisted, he was working as an apartment handyman. His wife forced him to do something else.

 

Enlisted in the Navy. Now, his MOS is shore patrolman.

 

In 16+ years, he's spent about 13 years in DC doing nothing. His overseas activity was in Sicily about 5 years ago.

 

Not exactly hazardous duty.

 

EDIT: He makes about 40K a year although the civilian equivalent is hard to calculate since some percentage is not taxed.

Edited by MojoMan
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Swiss,

 

1. I wrote..."IF I were on active duty"...I am not....I live on a stipend of $25K as a resident in a hospital...and I am okay with that...I choose this right now...I am being honest and upfront b/c I have nothing to hide.....

 

2. Thanks for serving and being a good soldier....please let's not get crazy and there is no need to call me a "poor major." This is unnecessary. I am entitled to an opinion. You do not need to agree with me....another comment I put in the post.

 

3. I am not using military status...did not even mention it...reread what I wrote....you do not have to agree with what I said....but leave the name calling out of it....ths is not an officer v. enlisted issue...and it does not have to become one either.

 

4. Where did I write that I am entitled to anything? This is not about what "I" am worth...boy did you read into this incorrectly....

 

5. I am not whining....nor am I looking for a fight....what are you so angry about? Rigors of military life? Dude, where did you get this from? Are you reading sci-fi or what? You are looking for a fight...and I am NOT going to give you one.

 

6. For what it is worth, there are many, many occupations that are more important than long snappers on an NFL squad....and most of these crucial jobs are paid peanuts....(nurses, teachers, fire, police, etc)....it is an observation...and this is my point....

 

I have nothing more to write or say about this....I apologize for all the drama this may have created...if someone disagrees, great, that is his/her opinion and if someone agrees, great, that is his/her opinion as well.

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I was going to yawn, but Swiss beat me to it.

 

No offense towards anyone personally, but players wouldn't be making the kind of money they make if the guys writing the checks weren't making even more.

 

I never EVER understand why working stiffs like the vast majority of us would ever EVER side for the owners in any labor dispute.

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I was going to yawn, but Swiss beat me to it.

 

No offense towards anyone personally, but players wouldn't be making the kind of money they make if the guys writing the checks weren't making even more.

 

I never EVER understand why working stiffs like the vast majority of us would ever EVER side for the owners in any labor dispute.

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Maybe because the labor dispute in question is over employees who will almost certainly never have to work again after a short "working" life of 5 years or so demanding even more while us 40-year working stiffs you mention put up with what we're given or find something else to do? :D

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