 IS TEAM LOYALTY A DEAD CONCEPT? BY NITTANY RAM (Feb 17) |
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People often view athletes
from the past as having a higher moral code or better "character" than today's
athletes. I don't buy it. IMO, players aren't more greedy or disloyal now than at
any other time. Example. Fred Miller left for more money. Completely understandable... I wish him well. But Jack Youngblood would have done the same thing. Loyalty might exist in pro sports but it is easily trumped by more money, as it is in all occupations. True, Merlin Olsen stayed with the Rams his entire career, and I'm not saying he was ever unhappy to do so, but we have to remember, at the time, where he played wasn't a matter of choice. But would Rosey Grier or Merlin Olsen have stayed with the Rams for more money because of some *loyalty* to the taam? They probably would have, *if* the money was right, because I don't believe today's players are any more or less greedy (or loyal) than yesterday's were. It all comes down to opportunities. With free agency, more opportunities exist now, so more players are taking advantage of them. Players of the past would have done the same if they had the same opportunities. So, we can believe, if we choose, that he was somehow more loyal than today's players, or we can point to the fact he couldn't leave if he wanted to. For the right price and right situation Olsen would have left...you know he would have. Doesn't mean he's greedy or disloyal, just human. Rosie and Merlin didn't have FA, but I bet they wish they did. And remember, players aren't just leaving because of the money... there's a prestige factor involved as well. It's very important for players (and all people) to feel respected by their peers. The amount of money these players make is the measure of their worth as professional athletes and determines their place among their peers. There's a whole set of psychological factors involved in this issue other than greed or loyalty. Rosey Grier, Merlin Olsen, or Babe Ruth would have been influenced by these same factors as well...had the opportunity existed in their times. But there was no FA then---so old time players like Art Donovan can sit around and complain about today's players, and pat themselves on the back for being loyal to their teams and fans. But I wonder what Art would have done had somebody waived a couple mil under his nose. |
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