Shaq, Kobe, and the $1,000,000 Man

[andyfox]

Shaq and Kobe have been bickering lately. Kobe, after promising to not go public anymore, called Shaq childlike and selfish on ESPN saying that he was fat and out of shape last year and missed too many games with a toe injury that everyone knows was not very serious.

Meanwhile, Karl Malone told them both that he was not making enough money to have to put up with this nonsense.

Now I know Malone was making a kazillion dollars in Utah, but his salary this year is $1,000,000.00. And I know that a dollar doesn't go as far today as it did when Malone broke into the league in 1946.

Where are we when a man can say he's not being paid enough to have to put up with bickering for a lousy mill?

[Ulysses]

[ QUOTE ]
Where are we when a man can say he's not being paid enough to have to put up with bickering for a lousy mill?

[/ QUOTE ]

We're at a place where the average salary at this man's workplace is just about $5 million dollars.

[adios]

"called Shaq childlike and selfish on ESPN saying that he was fat and out of shape last year and missed too many games with a toe injury that everyone knows was not very serious."

Saw an interview with Coach Wooden several years ago. The first thing Coach Wooden said was that if Shaq was playing for him, Shaq would be losing a lot of weight. Coach Wooden is now 93 and I believe he was 90 when he did the interview. A truly remarkable man.

Coach Wooden (http://www.coachwooden.com/)

[AmericanAirlines]

Hi AndyFox,
Well I think we agree on this point. The income of these types is truly a slap in the face to working people everywhere. Or in your case, business owners everywhere.

But then again, if he can negotiate it, guess it's OK.

Sincerely,
AA

[AmericanAirlines]

Hi Ulysses,
That much huh. Must be nice!

So what's the feeling in here. Kobe's innocent or guilty?

Sincerely,
AA

[trillig]

Karl took the Lakers job/money to stay in the league a year to hopefully win a championship and go out a winner, that's it . It's not like he needed the $.

Kobe is captain of the bad judgement ship as we all know with this trial going on.

Shaq is da man in the league and probably IS in worst shape of his life, but his worst is probably 5x better than my best.

We'll just have to see what happens...

I don't watch basketball at all though, I came from a NBA-less city growing up so my interest is nil.

-t

[andyfox]

Quite a place.

One would also think a man accused of raping a young woman would be a bit more circumspect about putting himself into more headlines.

I just heard on the radio that Kobe has been fined for his remarks by the Lakers.

[Dynasty]

[ QUOTE ]
The income of these types is truly a slap in the face to working people everywhere. Or in your case, business owners everywhere.

[/ QUOTE ]

Working people don't deserve 7-figure salaries. The work almost all of them do can be done by millions of other people and doesn't generate significant income. On the other hand, top professional athletes are worth that kind of salary since their skills are rare and generate tremendous revenues as a form of entertainment.

[Josh W]

Innocent or guilty of what?

He's innocent, of course, because he hasn't been proved guilty. But he may have done it.

That's if we are talking about the crime of sexual assault (or whatever the exact charge was). If we are talking about adultery, then he is clearly guilty.

I think it's unfortunate that this has to be LA, where the nation's worst sports fans get to watch and underappreciate one of the nation's greatest teams, full of the greatest whiners and the most disrespectful people in America.

Ahhhh, LA.

Josh

[Sooga]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The income of these types is truly a slap in the face to working people everywhere. Or in your case, business owners everywhere.

[/ QUOTE ]

Working people don't deserve 7-figure salaries. The work almost all of them do can be done by millions of other people and doesn't generate significant income. On the other hand, top professional athletes are worth that kind of salary since their skills are rare and generate tremendous revenues as a form of entertainment.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed 100%. If everyone was 6'7" or could hit a 98mph fastball, and if no one enjoyed watching sports, athletes wouldn't be paid so much. Secondly, everyone hears about Alex Rodriguez's $252M contract, or KG's record breaking contract, and they're aghast at how someone can make so much money. But for every A-Rod and KG there are hundreds upon thousands of minor leaguers or CBA'ers who toil away for years, making just a few thousand bucks a year. Then when they're around 40, an age where in most other professions you'd be at the top of your game, they find themselves washed up, with no real marketable skills. Most athletes take a big gamble to pursue the big leagues, and there should be a pot of gold at the end.

[andyfox]

I was questioning the perspective of a person who said that he shouldn't have to put up with all this nonsense for the lousy salary he's making. It's the idea that making a million dollars is a lousy salary, by the standards of his teammates and what he had been making previously, that stood out to me.

I'm not questioning anyone's right to make whatever the market will pay him.

[Sooga]

[ QUOTE ]
I was questioning the perspective of a person who said that he shouldn't have to put up with all this nonsense for the lousy salary he's making. It's the idea that making a million dollars is a lousy salary, by the standards of his teammates and what he had been making previously, that stood out to me.

I'm not questioning anyone's right to make whatever the market will pay him.

[/ QUOTE ]

And I wasn't disagreeing with you... I was agreeing with Dynasty /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[AmericanAirlines]

Hi Dynasty,
Yes, that's the prevailing thought in capitalism, or perhaps consumerism.

But let's be honest. The intrinsic value of the "work" say Tiger Woods does. That is dropping a ball in a cup is essentially worthless and adds no value to anything. So in this sense it is a slap in the face to say a brain surgeon who saves lives. Or even the garbage man.

Somehow Entertainment has taken on an overly magnified significants at this point in history, for whatever reasons.

Personally, I think the money manufactures throw at the PGA shoud be divided up between shareholders and workers.

And I completely believe sports fans are idiots at times.

I mean c'mon, if it was the "Burger King Cows" against the "KFC Roosters" would anyone care?

The naming of teams after towns is a great gimic, but in the end they are franchises, and nothing more.

But anyway, if hard working people want to toss thier money at these folks for what they do, isn't my place to stop them. But I do have an opinion.

As I see it, an hour of my life is worth the same as an hour of any celebs from an intrinsic worth perspective. And so too for yours. So it's hard for me to see value in running a ball across a goal or a screaming guitar solo (even though I am an amateur musician and would love to be a rock star... even so I don't see a lot of intrinsic value in the work done).

So call me what you will, it's rediculous to me that say Oprah is worth a billion, or whatever other celeb you want to select.

How about Arnold. Is a poster boy sterioded out Aryan type.

Does that make it a fair critique. :-)

Sincerely,
AA

[AmericanAirlines]

I agree it's a gamble, and given the Risk/Reward thing all stock brokers parrot... there's supposed to be a reward.

What I really question most of all though, is why the fans are stupid enough to vote thier money to these poeple?

The intrinsic value of these "celeb" activities is zero in any real material terms.

That's even despite arguments about advertizing value.

Consider how much less expensive everyone's life could be and how many years less it would take to retire if all the money wasted on advertizing was not extracted from consumers to pay these people....

I mean, to say, in practical terms you can't avoid paying these people even if you never go to a game!

So think of it that way. How many years of your life do you end up working to pay these folks off?

See the point now?

Sincerely,
AA

P.S. The "Few at the top make all the money, the rest are broke" continuum you speak of occurs in all "glamour" industries... Even in the Airline Pilot field, where the salaries are no where near NBA salaries.

It's simple supply and demand. If it looks fun and high paying... many are called, few are chosen.

And I'd say an airline pilot has significanly more skills and responsibility for life than any Basketball player.

So again this stupid inverted value system shows up, wherein a celeb doing little of real value earns more than someone who has life and death responsibilities.

[AmericanAirlines]

Hi Josh,
Well to elaborate... in your opinion, is he guilty of the assault or not?

Actually there's some possibilities:

1. He did it, and he's found guilty
2. He did it, and he gets off.
3. He didn't do it, and he's found guilty
4. He didn't do it, and he's found innocent.

Care to lay odds on each of those?

Or perhaps as a pair of pairs:

1. Did it
2. Didn't do it

A. Found guilty
B. Found not guilty

The second break down might be better because it would allow us to read sentiment about the crime and sentiment about the jury as separate indices.

Sincerely,
AA

[Sooga]

I don't think anyone in here is arguing that what a professional athlete does has more 'value' than say, a firefighter, or a schoolteacher. The point is that most Joe Schmoes can wake up one day, say, "Hey, I want to be a schoolteacher", and then go and do it. There are few fields that are literally impossible for most of the population to do, and being a professional athlete is one of them. Most anyone can be a doctor, given a decent amount of brains and enough dedication to school. Most anyone can be a pilot, given enough training. But to be a professional athlete, you must prove that you are the best, at every level, and that's why the reward is so great for those select few.

[kg99]

Meanwhile, Karl Malone told them both that he was not making enough money to have to put up with this nonsense.

What Malone says is kinda funny, but I think it's true though. He could be easily making 4x more if hes playing elsewhere.

[AmericanAirlines]

But you just admitted what the althlete does is of lower value than the firefighter. So why exactly should they be rewarded more?

Should not reward be linked to value?

The reason the reward is so great is called "marketing".

If "diffuculy" or being "the best" were the standard... well heck it's very difficult to kiss one's own *ss... but yoga fanatics can... perhaps they should get 7 figure incomes? (Just joking. /images/graemlins/smile.gif )

Sincerely,
AA