Kingofpain89 wrote:This is probably one of the dumbest things I have ever read come out of an athletes mouth: Adrian Peterson, Jr. running back for the Oklahoma Sooners has announced that he will forego his senior year to enter the NFL draft. When asked why he wasnt returning for his senior year he said, "In the end, I think I just realized that this is a business decision and that it is time for me to take that next step," Peterson said in a statement released by the university Monday, the deadline for underclassmen to declare themselves eligible for the draft. "It wasn't easy. I haven't been sleeping much. I just put it all in God's hands."Stupid and greedy. He says that it is a business decision. Obviously he would rather make a few million dollars than come back for his senior year, get his degree, and try to win a national championship or win the Heisman trophy (which he could easily do if he stays healthy). Then he says "I just put it all in God's hands." Bullshit. What the hell does God have to do with it? Reading drivel like that just makes me want to puke. Oh and Ted Ginn Jr., Antonio Pittman, and Anthony Gonzalez are also foregoing their senior year at Ohio St. to enter the draft. At least their reasons arent just monetary. They are probably so embarassed by getting their asses handed to them by Florida that they dont want to show their faces on campus.After reading the article I thought about some things I would do if I was the owner of a professional sports franchise:1) Mandatory testing of all athletes for performance enhancing or other illegal drugs. These tests would occur before a season started, every week of the season (including playoffs), and every week during the off-season if the player was still under contract. If they fail the test...they are fired...no second chances.2) Mandatory intelligence testing before a contract is tendered. If you cant pass a college exit exam then you dont deserve to play the game.3) Mandatory classes on "How to speak to the Media without looking like a total dumbass". Put a clause in their contract that for every stupid and dumbass thing said to a reporter, the player is fined a specific amount.4) Limit rookies to the league minimum. No signing bonuses or incentives. They get paid what a rookie deserves to be paid regardless of how good they are. If they do exceptionally well...give them a raise next year.Then I thought...if a franchise owner ever did the four things that I mentioned, they either wouldnt be able to field a team due to lack of players or they would be so freaking bad that they might as well not even field a team. Not to mention, they would get in serious trouble with the union and the governing body of whichever league they were in. I guess maybe I will stick with my 9 to 5 job eh?
ifearyeti wrote:How many years will I need to work with a $ 40,000 annual salary to make some 20 year olds $ 2 million signing bonus? 50; thats how many.
MShipley88 wrote:Seen in this light, it makes very little sense for major college athletes to forego jumping to professional sports. In fact, it might even be misplaced loyalty to stay.Why should college sports be any different?
Kingofpain89 wrote:I guess I got on a bit of a rant there and got a little lost. Yes I am talking about you Eli Manning, you no talent pussy.
NetRodent wrote:When you factor in taxes, you probably only need to work around 35 years to come out the same.
Kingofpain89 wrote:Hell I was poor for a good part of the time growing up and I can guarantee you that if I had the opportunity to go play football in the NFL and make some huge amount of money I wouldn't have told the organization that drafted me that I wasnt going to play for them because they werent good enough. Yes I am talking about you Eli Manning, you no talent pussy.
gyg wrote:Couldn't help having a bit more of a rant!?This is all a bit lost on us Brits - though I do follow the NFL, the minutae of it is a little irrelevant to me, lets face it there isn't the passion for your 'football' here than there obviously is there.And speaking of proper 'football' (Kidding!) - the big news in the UK is that David Beckham is likely to be coming to LA very soon - on a reported £125 for 5 years. I'm interested to know if this is in the news on the other side of the pond and if anyone has any opinions either way. (FWIW he seems like a nice guy, a family man with a down to earth attitude - if that can be said of someone who earns millions for kicking a ball around)
improvstone wrote:Or maybe for the Brits we should talk about cricket
MShipley88 wrote: When Brian Bosworth went pro out of Oklahoma, there was considerable talk about his "disloyalty." When it was known that he was going pro the school officially kicked him off their team. In his book (a good read, by the way) Bosworth points out that Oklahoma did not recruit him out of the goodness of their hearts. Nor, did he owe anything to Oklahoma...after the millions the school made off marketing him. For one example...Bosworth cited a poster of him that the school sold for $5 (in early 1980's dollars). The college sold 100,000 (according to Bosworth) copies of the poster. Bosworth received $0 for this use of his image. Given Bosworth's business accumen...and the way he tricked Denver Bronco fans (my bold) into paying him millions...I tend to believe the story.. . . . . . . . . Mark
gyg wrote:And speaking of proper 'football' (Kidding!) - the big news in the UK is that David Beckham is likely to be coming to LA very soon - on a reported £125 for 5 years. I'm interested to know if this is in the news on the other side of the pond and if anyone has any opinions either way. (FWIW he seems like a nice guy, a family man with a down to earth attitude - if that can be said of someone who earns millions for kicking a ball around)
bombadil wrote:Yes, it's in the news here, and really exciting IMO. The equivalent of Brett Favre just after his peak going to the European Football League. It's HUGE. I really hope it has an impact on the popularity of soccer in this country. I love watching soccer, though I've never played it, and still can't believe it's so unpopular here. I just wish Beckham had signed with D.C. United.
Aneoth wrote:lol......... you must not have any kids..............My friend's kids and my grandkids all play soccer to the detriment of everything else. Soccer may not hold any sway for the good ole' boys who love American Football, but the kids are growing up and once they do, they will eventually replace us ole' fogies as sports fans. The sport they will be fans of will most likely be Soccer, not American Football.Unless of course it is baseball once again........
bombadil wrote:Au contraire, mon ami, all 3 of my kids play soccer!My son has been on the regional travel team for the past 2 years, and I can attest to what you're saying. Every time we travel out to Pittsburgh to get our asses kicked by the local teams, I'm amazed at the level of participation in the sport by kids in this country. And by the level of skill. You're absolutely right, in a few years it will be much bigger here than it is now, but among childless adult men in this country soccer is nothing more than a 4-th ranked distraction.[/b]