Sports Loyalty and Free Agency

As I get ready for the new NFL season to start (training camps start in just a few weeks), my attention is drawn to free agency and how much it has changed in sports today. There is no loyalty anymore; it is about chasing dollar signs instead of championships. Player’s attitudes are more set to the mode of sure championships are nice, but I have to get paid, first and foremost. Championships do not seem like the ultimate goal, or maybe they are just now placed a close second. Doesn’t the competitive nature in an athlete want that more than anything, to be on top, to be considered the best, to be a champion? It just seems like a complete reversal from when I was growing up. Michael Jordan, for example, was a competitive bastard that hated to lose at anything, basketball, golf with buddies, playing cards on the plane; it didn’t matter. He would rather humiliate you than lose to you. That is why I am miffed about the world of sports today. What happened to athletes like Jordan that went out every night to take it to you, just to say that they beat you? Now it’s even a rarity for an athlete to stay in one place, unless he is a franchise player; that has become the way of the land, I like to refer to it as “contracts over championships”.

Look I get it, as an athlete you sign a contract for a certain span of time and the term “free agent” means you are free to go somewhere else if you so desire. I just think that athletes today don’t have the sense of loyalty to a team to win a championship for your fans, the people that support you unconditionally. They go for the money and don’t think about the ramifications that they leave behind. Take the recent situation with LeBron James. It’s not that he left the Cavs, but it is the way he did it. He grew up in Ohio, won state basketball titles in high school, played for Cleveland for seven years, (I would guess) knows the history of major sports in Cleveland and Ohio and yet he still left in a televised broadcast, or a la a big middle finger to his fans. He was one of the most popular players in the NBA and now he has became a villain of sorts. Had he stayed in Cleveland, won a championship or two, his legacy in history sits next to the likes of Jordan, Bird, Russell and Magic. But because his exit strategy was ill conceived his legacy is likely tarnished, even if he goes on to win a championship or two with the Miami Heat. In his mind, this was his best chance to win and you can’t blame a guy for wanting to win. But he was winning; the Cavs had the NBA’s best record the past few seasons. It unfortunately did not equal championships though. And to answer the question about money, yes in this case he took less (but what’s $15 million to a guy who has a new contract for $115 million). However, had he stayed and won in Cleveland, history would likely paint a different picture of him.

So what is so different about free agency in today’s sports world? As I stated earlier, it’s about contracts over championships, making the most money you can in sometimes a short career. The lack of loyalty to one team or certain city, what’s wrong with playing in one place for one team? The lack of a legacy or building one’s legacy in the sport that you play, would you rather be remembered as one of the greats for the number of banners hanging up or for the wealthiest contract? Contracts used to follow championships, it seemed like the natural order, you win, and you get a bigger contract. Today it’s the opposite, if you have enough big contracts, you get championships, right? Well, not necessarily. Teams that try to essentially buy a championship with high-priced and sometimes overpriced free agents, usually are just wasting money. And ironically guys who are in the last year of their contract usually play better, a showcase of their talents to potential or uninformed suitors. It’s a shame for athletes to do this, but such is the world of contracts over championships.

What does this have to do with the NFL? Tom Brady becomes a free agent at the end of the 2010 season. Will he even be able to test the market? That answer is an obvious no, he is a franchise quarterback and no way that Patriots owner Robert Kraft would let him leave, in fact he would be evaluated for mental illness if he did. Albert Haynesworth played his way with Tennessee into a huge contract (7 years, $100 million) with the Washington Redskins, only after a year he has demanded a trade due to a change in their defensive scheme. Brett Favre had a chance to cement his legacy in Green Bay, but after faux retirement attempts and stints with two different teams that is dwindling. (And yes, I am going to continue to bust his balls until he finally retires).

And what about the Colts? Peyton Manning’s current contract is set to expire at the end of the 2010 season. Fear not Colts fans, Mr. Irsay is set to make him the highest paid player in the NFL. And he has definitely earned his money over the last 10 plus years. Gary Brackett is set to finish his career with the Colts after signing a five-year/ $33 million dollar contract. Antoine Bethea earned his new contact, four-year/$27 million dollars, by becoming one of the best safeties in the NFL. Charlie Johnson, one-year/$1.8 million; Antonio Johnson, one-year/$1.6 million; and Daniel Muir, one-year/$1.8 million; signed new tenders to remain important pieces with the team. Unfortunately, Reggie Wayne and Robert Mathis, who both have two years remaining on their respective contracts, want new deals. I believe Reggie Wayne has a legitimate beef since he is one of the games top receivers, but in terms of salary is somewhere in the middle of the pack. I don’t see him going anywhere, especially if he continues to play at a high level. Mathis, on the other hand, benefits from Dwight Freeney’s presence, so I just think it would be a tougher sell, especially with the Colts first-round draft pick DE Jerry Hughes. I would like the Colts to keep Mathis, but I just don’t know if it is in the cards.

So the Colts have several players in the next few years whose contracts expire including Joseph Addai, Adam Vinatieri, Melvin Bullitt and several offensive and defensive lineman. Whether all or which select players are retained is to be determined based on several factors, including when the new collective bargaining agreement is reached. So with a few weeks until training camp starts, let’s worry about what is most important, getting ready for the season and chasing championships instead of contracts, returning to the Super Bowl, and hopefully this time with a shiny Lombardi trophy in hand.