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Thus depriving someone
who actually took the time to study broadcasting a job as a sportscaster.
And if we're going to allow Wakefield to keep working in the industry, can we at least force him to pay back some of the outrageously excessive salary he got paid to play a child's game?
Wakefield was hardly overpaid
I won't dispute that many professional athletes are paid extraordinarily large amounts of money, but Tim Wakefield wasn't one of them. $5 million a year is nothing to sniff at, but there are baseball players making nearly ten times that amount. And as with all other things, the market pays what the market will bare. Wake probably could have gotten more money if he had chosen to play hardball with the Redsox or looked at a different team. But he was happy enough to keep renewing his one year option for the same terms.
And then he gave most of it to the community. There is a reason he was honored with the Roberto Clemente award, which honors MLB players who make a significant effort toward community service. He was such a player, and is a class act all around.
That said, I tend to agree with you that too much emphasis in broadcast sports is placed on marquee names who played the game, and not enough on solid journalism. NESN mixes it up a bit, using Peter Gammons, for example, but I do think they have too many analysts who are qualified only by virtue of playing the game. They should have about two of these, not five or six.
What Henry said
Man, if you're going to pick on an athlete for being overpaid, self-centered, egotistical, etc., there's a lot of guys I'd pick out before I got down to Wake. If I had a kid, I would love him/her to wear a Wakefield t-shirt.
I never said (nor implied) that Wakefield was
egotistical. Although, come to think of it, any player who routinely doesn't pitch a full game really isn't eanring their full pay.
And I don't really care how talented any athlete may be or how much they "give back" to the community. Anybody who makes a yearly salary that is about twice of what I expect to make in my entire lifetime, in my opinion, is grossly overpaid - regardless of their occupation.
Baseball (and other sports) may be a nice diversion for some people. But at the end of the day, it's still only entertainment. Hardly justifies the excessive amount of money and resources that go into it, especially whan that money could be put to far better uses.
Entertainment is life roadman.
A lot of people work 10-14 hours a day, 6-7 days a week. Part of what makes these people keep ticking is that they can sit down on Sunday and watch a football game, or crack open a beer on a summer day and watch a baseball game.
This guy earned his full pay because people are willing to pay him for it. This in turn generates a lot of other money that does a lot of other good.
So what do you like to do?
Boating may be a nice diversion for some people. But at the end of the day, it's still only entertainment. Hardly justifies the excessive amount of money and resources that go into it, especially whan that money could be put to far better uses.
Concerts may be a nice diversion for some people. But at the end of the day, it's still only entertainment. Hardly justifies the excessive amount of money and resources that go into it, especially whan that money could be put to far better uses.
Fireworks may be a nice diversion for some people. But at the end of the day, it's still only entertainment. Hardly justifies the excessive amount of money and resources that go into it, especially whan that money could be put to far better uses.
Yes, the entertainment business is whacky
roadman, I agree with you that the more successful people in the entertainment business - actors/actresses, musicians, athletes, etc. - make obscene amounts of money. It's the nature of the business. If you ask the clear-thinking ones of the lot, they will readily admit that they are incredibly lucky, no doubt about it. Yes, there are the obnoxious ones who think the world revolves around them, but you also find those people in all walks of life.
When it comes to these huge earners, I prefer to look at what they do with their riches when I judge them. For example, if I were to win a $100 million lottery, one of the first things I think about is all the good I could do with that money. Face it, it's way more than anybody needs. I think of it as a big responsibility - and not an easy one. So, the same goes with these athletes. What do they do with their fame and money? Is it all "me me me", or do they try to help others with the good fortune they have? (and I have no problem with someone enjoying their good fortune as long as they are generous with the excess). Most times, we really don't know how much good some people do. Nomar was notorious for doing things behind the scenes.
Here's a Wakefield story for you. A group of ball players were at a hospital visiting kids. They did their thing, and meanwhile, one of the kids wasn't there, yet. They waited a bit for him, and they finally left - except for one guy. Wakefield ended up hanging around until this one kid finally showed up, just so he could make the kid's day. It would have been real easy to leave so he could spend time with his own kids, or just get home and relax. But, he thought of others and spent his time to help others. Think about that the next time you hear about some gangsta basketball player get arrested for drugs, firearms, and beating up his girlfriend.
Sorry for the ramble.