SPORTS & VALUE IN AMERICA

Dear George, 

Since you left office Mr. Washington there have been a few 'modifications' in the society you and the other Founding Fathers envisioned. One [you might find surprising] is that leisure pursuits are now recognized professional careers for which people are paid!  And, ohhh - how they're paid...

It's not that health and fitness [lifting our butts off the seat of our chairs] isn't a noble pursuit - it's that activities [games] we once played as children have evolved FAR beyond the playground...FAR, F-A-R beyond. So much so that even the high perks and salaries enjoyed by corporate CEOs are hard pressed to keep up.

And - over the last 100 years inflation has had nothing to do with the giant leap in paychecks for professional sports--it's Gate Receipts. In 1922 Babe Ruth signed a 3year contract for $52,000 per season. Six years later the Yankees' executives gave Babe a 'wee' raise to $80,000--which was a higher annual salary than President Herbert Hoover! 

There's 'money' in sports lots of it. Besides sports betting [legal or not] after the development of television - sporting events promoted by mega amounts of advertising sent 'money' blossoming like a sprawling ranch of weeds. 

As of 2022 New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole is 3 years into a 9 year contract for $36,000,000 [M] per year! Again--a higher annual salary than the President. [Ahh this time 90 Xs higher] 

We have the Greeks to thank for  [besides a phonetically creative alphabet]  sports. The first Olympic games that started much of this - might be considered a mixed blessing...

In 776 BC there was no television. Well - there was no electricity yet either, but that's not my point. Without television people of ancient cultures passed what leisure time they had -often- begetting or warring... Since the Greeks were more inclined toward poetry and less inclined toward invading other places they redirected the pent-up energy of their youth with competition like foot races, wrestling, discus and javelin throwing, long jump and chariot racing.  

Those who know me - or just as accurately know 'my' athletic ability might point out that I've focused on this particular feature [at this particular time] because my abilities are limited to--curling.  Perhaps...  

I tried figure skating, but balance and falling seemed to be an issue. I tried softball but swinging and missing seemed to be an issue. I tried tennis, but the net got in my way and with racquet ball all those rebounds from all those walls seemed to be an issue. I tried golf, but somehow, I managed to defy several laws of physics to the point that a golf pro begged me not to tell people he had given me lessons. However, for some reason I am able to get a 40pound chunk of polished granite down 93 feet of ice to rest at the correct spot in a group of concentric circles--? Go figure...

That aside I question the thundering emphasis on so much money associated with [professional] sports not due to my own lackluster athletic talents - I question the bloated salaries of coaches and players from a value-to-life perspective... [Also: college tuitions shot up to support salary raises for faculty/college coaches too.]       

Entertainment has value, at least I like to think so since I write novels, but in balance how 'much' value?  How much is a book worth compared to the teacher who shares insight with young minds from that book? 

Will a Center or a Goalie be able to tutor someone who seeks to be the first in their family to enter college?  A teacher with 5 to 15 years of experience makes an annual salary of between $40,600 and $51,290. 

How much are the players in any sport worth compared to a nurse who can adjust a patient's oxygen levels?

Will a Quarterback or a Shortstop be able to monitor the vital signs of someone on life support in ICU? A registered nurse with 5 to 10 years of experience makes an annual salary of between $49,600 and $56,800. 

Our Constitution requires the President to take a salary regardless of personal wealth to avoid being tempted to take bribes. But how are we comparing the millions of dollars in value of a Lineman or Left Fielder to a President or a Senator or a Representative to Congress or the Governor of a State? 

Our security is just one Border Patrol Agent/Officer away from an illegal immigrant who already has a criminal record -or- one U.S. Marshal away from a belligerent passenger on an airplane. The annual salary of a Border Patrol Agent [GL-7 to GL-9] is between $49,508 - $78,269. The annual salary of a U.S. Marshal [GL-7 to GL-9] is between $46,471 - $61,937.   

Since we're starting a New Year and we've all experienced a great deal of uncertainty on SO MANY levels the last two years, taking a peek right now at not only what we value, but how we set value can be an opportunity...

In researching this I read: Games are a structured form of Play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun and sometimes used as an educational tool [experiencing teamwork and sportsmanship]. Games are different from Work, which is usually carried out for renumeration or from Art which is more often an expression of aesthetic, creative elements. ...Play was described as: activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than for serious or practical purpose... In the past sports celebrities have argued they required higher than average salaries because - due to the physical demands of sports they can't work for decades - well gee who do you know who makes $36,000,000 in any lifetime! Or, they could 'do' something else with their lives besides sports...Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif [who left football for medicine] nicely proved that point.  

As well - I have another suggestion for SPORTS from the Ancient Greeks. In this century, instead of tanks and guns and missiles and bombs and submarines and battleships let's compete with other nations in archery or swimming or cycling or whatever, a-n-d pay those who wish to 'play' sports enough [money] to live like most people while they finish an education in some other career that gives back...

Just a thought...

Though I can already hear several relatives and neighbors screaming at me, I'm not suggesting the elimination professional sports - only to tone down such absurd compensation...   

Sherrie Todd-Beshore is an award-winning mystery-suspense novelist and former journalist.

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