Loyalty is for Suckers

Loyalty is a term that’s thrown around way too much in the sports world. It’s seen as a badge of honor for those who stay and a scarlet letter for those who choose to leave. Kevin Durant is being slaughtered for leaving OKC while Russell Westbrook is being praised for signing an extension. This isn’t limited to the NBA, sports stars everywhere are expected to stick with the team that drafted them or “gave them a shot.”

That, my friends, is foolishness.

Allow me to paint a picture. You’re at work and you get a call from a rival employer, they offer you double the salary and better benefits. The company you’re working at hired you and gave you the first opportunity you’ve ever received. The money and benefits are good but not as good as the current offer on the table. What would you do?

If your answer isn’t taking the deal from the rival then you’re lying to yourself.

I’ve always been pro-athlete, especially in the NFL. In an environment where a player can be cut the moment they start underperforming athletes have no choice but the chase the money. I don’t blame DeAndre Hopkins for his brief holdout. I never blamed Marshawn Lynch for skipping camp for more money. I don’t blame Joey Bosa for holding out until the Chargers stop behaving like cheapskates. I don’t blame Michael Bennett for speaking out against his contract. I don’t blame athletes who leave good teams and go to awful ones because they offer more coin. Being in contention for a Super Bowl is great but having enough money to take care of future generations is better. I don’t want to hear that, “well that’s the contract he signed so he needs to play it out” nonsense. Their window to earn max money is short and they have to get every dollar they can. If an athlete has the leverage to make more money then they should use it. You can rest assure that a franchise will use it against the player every chance they get. Darrelle Revis is one of the few athletes who understands that concept. He’s one of the NFL’s top earners year after year because he uses leverage to his advantage every chance he gets.

Hometown discounts are a joke, too.

Dirk Nowitzki has been praised for taking pay cut after pay cut in order to keep the Mavericks financially flexible and always in contention for top free agents. Hindsight is always 20/20 but after the past few summers I’m sure he regrets not taking every dollar he’s owed. Mark Cuban ended up doing right by Dirk, giving him a 2 year, $50 million deal but a lot of stories don’t end as smoothly.

Just ask Dwayne Wade.

After giving Miami discount after discount in order to remain competitive Pat Riley decided to lowball Miami’s greatest athlete. I’m not blaming Riley for the offer, it’s a business and his job is to steer the Heat towards a title, not break the bank for a player that won’t play a full season. Wade should have done what Chris Bosh did a couple of years ago, hold the franchise hostage until they pony up. Now, instead of retiring as a member of the Heat, he has to write an unnecessary chapter of his career in Chicago.

As fellow Chicago native R. Kelly said, “Money makes the world go round.”

As always, thanks for reading.

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