Whats wrong with the Current state of Professional Sports?
 

So after taking a hiatus from watching sports for a few years ive just gotten back into it again, and i have to say im really dissapointed.
First MLB, what a mess, all these record breaker players on steroids, and from what i understand right now amphetamines are not tested for so who know how many are jacked up on speed.

now for the NBA, it seems every week theres a fight about to happen or just stopped from being happened, what the hell? i cannot remember a year where there has been more fighting, granted im only 18 but ive watched a fair share of sports. While fighting is entertaining it has its place, and i believe they call it boxing.

NHL i havent kept up much with this league but they are striking or were striking last i heard. I feel this way for all sports that making more than the President of the United States to play a game and then whine about not making enough. sad..

What are all you thoughts or comments on this? i love sports but its starting to get rediculous.

it's shaky at best to mention this, but it has some valid points.

Many sports now have basically "Thugs" in them.

As younger and younger atheletes get recruited, making bigger contracts year after year, well their head gets big.

Many of them have natural talent, and sometimes they have an amazing amount of raw talent.

Also now there are more higher caliber players who are just considered normal. The workout, training, and education now is uncomparable to what it used to be. So many of those players who used to be able to compete, find that they have to use artificial suplements to take them to the "Next" level.

The thugs part is argueable, it just may be the fad of our generation right now.

Long, drawn-out seasons, a lack of competitive teams leagues not taking a realistic approach to maintaining a level of class(such as the NBA's age limitations), drugs, the fans, the owners, the coaches, and the players.

Sometimes leagues overreact. However, fans do not want to see assholes taking steroids break records nor do they want to cheer for some crack addict that has been convicted of felonies many times.

Paying young players millions of dollars takes all the incentive away. Isn't it funny how you hear baseball and basketball players talk about how they are "entertainers?" If they feel compelled to "entertain", rather than compete, then they lose me. I'm not interested in touchdown dances and afterdunk stare-downs. I want to see a game played with skill and passion. I think incentive-based pay is the way to go.

I think it is pathetic these athletes get paid enough to hit and fight like babies, do you see lawyers or doctors duke it out when they get mad. They just need to grow up!

GREED....GREED....AND MORE GREED......AND LOTS OF SEX AND DRUGS...(NO ROCK 'N ROLL INVOLVED)

I think the things that are kind of screwed up in society are reflected, maybe magnified, by those who we idolize in pop culture - and these include athletes. The concept that money alone is an end in itself, and will grant automatic hapiness is a lie, and greed is now an acceptable means to that end.

Who's the greediest? Big Corporate execs for sure. Next? Actors and athletes, for sure.

So kiss social consciousness good bye. I don't want to sound like I'm preaching here, but if the money wasn't so important, I thikn things like sports would be more interesting because the poeple who are truly passionate about the sport would be playing, not the guys who have some talent and want to retire rich, regardless of the lasting negative legacy they leave behind.

Just my $0.02 worth, and probably worth less than that.

Peace,

Pierre

I think it's true what alot of people say,it's society.How much money do we need ? You see players making millions of dollars and they want more and more.But we don't say wait a minute that's too much,were more worry about if our team is going win.

To much money is involved now and most of the atheletes are not what I would call educated. They may have gone to college for 3 or 4 years, but they sure as hell aren't educated.

Give un-educated "tough" guys alot of money and you are now watching the results every night on SportCenter.

Ahh, SportCenter. This program alone has brought every major sport down a few levels. Seems like every player is just trying to make the next highlight or soundbite on the show. NBA players can't even shoot anymore for christ's sake.

That kind of sums it up nicely.

And maybe not just Sports Center, but sports channels in general. I mean, it really seems that threre is just not enough sports in the world to fill 24 hours - 7 days a week - or they wouldn't have to resort to playing hours of Poker, Dog shows, Pro Wrestling, Darts and Billiards. While I don't want to slag any of these endavours individually (well, I do, but I wont :) :) ), I have to questoin their inclusion as a "sport." I mean Poker?! What the hell.

Professional sports languishes in greed and self-parody while I lament.

Peace,

Pierre

Drakers nailed it with greed. But I think it's greed on all ends, players and owners. The average fan is getting priced out of games and pro sports are turning into corporate events.

You know that's so true. That's a nother reason why I quit football in HIGH SCHOOL. yea, it sounds ridiculous but when guys are only out there to show everyone how great they were in the film room, it killed it for me. I was told I didn't have the heart for the game, but more and more I think that I was right. There was this kid on our team that everyone wanted on the team, he was like 6'5" 230lbish as a freshman. He was a bohemoth, but you know what? he didn't play to his capabilities (assuming he had some, he had size, that's all i know for sure) because he didn't get to be a wideout, or a running back. So he turned on the coach and acted like a complete ass to the coach because he wasn't cut out to be the star player. There was another kid who every monday in film room he'd jump up at every play he made he'd literally say "did you see what I did there?" From game 1 he was called "sportscenter." So while this may not be true everywhere, I think this shows how bad sports have become.

On the contrary there are still coaches out there doing the right thing and trying to get their players down to a level where they're coachable and don't have that ego...there's just not enough of them.

I'm sorry i don't mean to thread jack here, but i did not want to start a new thread for this rant. The topic is Carlos effing Delgado. Here you have a player that has made endless amounts of money, some say he has been over paid for the past 4 yrs. Now he's a free agent, now instead of wanting to sign with a contending team, our man Carlos here is willing to play for any bottom-feeder that is willing to pay him the most.

Now don't get me wrong, I think alot of people would choose the most amount of money but after making million and millions how much is enough? If he has 60 million in the bank, and he can make either 7mil a year for say the yankee's or boston, or he can make 10mil a year playing for freaking texas or some other pretender.
I just can't believe that some of these players are just so greedy, you can really tell what players and what sports who have players that care first about winning, then about the money. I'll use an example, I am a huge hockey fan. Most canadian's and american's who enjoy the sport grow up always dreamed about wanting to win the stanley cup, where most players from overseas went interviewed would say that there goal was to play in the nhl. not win, but just play. And it showed in there effort.....
I find it harder and harder to watch sports with so many guys just going through the motions. Vince Carter and his interview about not really trying during that last bit of his toronto years is gross. If a normal person who works a real job took days off your employeer would fire your azz. They should make all sports based on you get paid if your team wins, only if you win. Then you would see some actual sports.

i am sorry.

I get your point, but the Rangers aren't exactly a pretender. They showed last year they were just a few steps away from being a WS contender. I wouldn't write them off as a 'pretender' they've got a nice line-up, they still need pitching help however.

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its real easy for everyone to come in here and bash all the players about greed etc...but if the roles were reversed how would you act? You guys are acting like millions of dollars is no big deal!!

money is one thing, but what about loyalty? I can understand wanting a certain number of dollars because your agent tells you you're worth that but what about the fact that most athletes, when their contract is up, will go looking for the highest bidder, and have no connection to where they play?

I can understand to an extent players making a lot of money but if a player has enjoyed success in a certain area, and the fans like them, why leave for the bigger paycheck?

a prime example is steve yzerman. Early in his career he could have garnered the ridiculous contracts that were being thrown out there at times, but he stuck around in Detroit because the city loves him and he loves the city. If he were willing to leave, i'm sure he could have made more money elsewhere, even his current contracts that he signs (3 yr deals to make sure he has a spot on the roster if he doesn't want to hang it up yet) aren't worth the ridiculous amounts other players of his caliber are getting.

you know, thinking about this now, i could of just watched jerry maguire again and answered it all myself.
its funny billiards got mentioned as being a waste of time on a sports channel.
i know that for myself, watching trick shot pool is some of the coolest feats ive ever seen and puts shame to most of todays major sports.
they play for 25k usually and only the winner gets paid, which automatically makes a person try much harder than a garaunteed contract.
i dunno mybe this is just a post defending pool and me not thinking clearly but i should mention that i think for the most part, the players who enjoy the cities they work for seem to be the fan favorties and most will take whatever the team offers to stay in that particular team.
ofcourse with agents and people ass kissing a young star now a days its hard not to get a big head id imagine, same goes with muscian managers. The more their signee makes-> the more the agent makes.
the bastards

Answer is simple. They play for the MONEY, not the game.