Forget he has the nastier curveball of the last 30 years... Its because of this http://www.kershawschallenge.com/ Its amazing how this people live and for him to go there, build them a house and take care of kids like that its pretty amazing... I'm impressed...
I'm impressed with him as well and believe he is the best thing to happen to the Dodgers since I've been around. But nobody who plays baseball DESERVES 30 million dollars a year. I accept the fact that athletes and entertainers get their cut of the billion(s) dollar industries they work for. I get it. It would be awesome for doctors and teachers to get paid for what they contribute to society. It doesn't work that way, and I understand full well why. But I will not sit here and say anyone who plays sport is entitled to 30 million annual dollars, aside from what the market dictates. Awesome person, awesome player. He'll get his $$. But it will be purely business.
^interesting i had this very conversation w a socialist teacher at christmas dinner. the problem is that the demand and the money are there so someone is going to get seriously paid. its not like the owners should have all of it. although if sports were real businesses they wouldn't have their stadiums built for them and get the breaks they do. she was even trying to relate it to music and entertainment. does adam sandler deserve 20million a flick? in my mind absofuckcinglutely not. but he does for the guys he makes 150million for. so i guess he does. no one would pay more than 20 bucks to see a led zeppelin or stones cover band but if the real guys play people pay through the nose. its more about the performer than the owner when that kind of money is involved and imo i would rather see stars make their share when its obvious the money pie is quite vast. whether or not we think they deserve it loses relevance.
well, that was not the exact route I thought the thread would take, BUT... I understand the unbalance but here's another way to look at it... for them baseball is not a sport, is a business, its their job... out of all the players in the world, they are THE TOP 750 PLAYERS (30 teams x 25 players)... out of those 750 maybe around 15-20 make something like $20M a year... now compare that to lets say the banking industry... the TOP PLAYERS on the banking industry make a lot more than $20M a year... for example, Citibank CEO made $38M in 2008... Wells Fargo CEO made $20M in 2011... ok, sure these guys have a WAY BIGGER responsibility, but I bet they cant pitch a 99mph FB or hit a curve ball... these are the top performers of their industry... add to that the huge increase in revenue the teams are getting (from broadcasting fees, merchandise, etc) and the players will demand a bigger chunk of the earning (dont you hate to see your boss driving the expensive car and pocketing more money while your salary stays the same?)... HAVING SAID THAT, no, I dont think any player deserves $30M a year, but if someone will get it, better be this kid who's doing an amazing job helping others in need...
Sure: ... What he does is amazing and outstanding for any age. But it has zero implications on his salary.
you could make an argument it does owners sign the player sure but the perceived image goes a long way too fernando, nomo, manny...