By the time I went to bed last night, numerous news stations were broadcasting the Tom Brady contract extension of $72 million to be paid over 4 yars making him the highest paid NFL player in the league. When will it be enough?
I'd venture to say that about 90% of the paying fanbase will never see that amount of money in their lifetime. The EMTs and medics that came to his rescue when he crashed his vehicle yesterday in the Back Bay will definitely never see that amount of money even though they save lives. They earn about an average of $43,000 annually. What about the teachers who taught Brady over the course of his life in San Mateo, California and later in Michigan? Teachers who influence young lives never see that amount of money in their careers either.
I think we should change the way we view entertainers and athletes. Fans are the only reason that keep these people in business and yet we've allowed them to eclipse even the true role models people look up to because of talent. There are those that don't even have real talent but yet enjoy multimillion dollar salaries--look at the top ten artists on the Billboard charts.
And is it cheap to see attend an MLB, NFL, NBA or pop concert? No way! Most NE Patriot games start at $100-$1000 per ticket. So this is what fans should do...say something! Perhaps ask your favorite athlete to forgo part of his salary and donate it to a local public school, university, community center. All those kids walking around in Michael Jordan basketball shoes and #12 Jerseys need that money a lot more than they do!
