misunderestimation

Professional athletes have it rough. They have to accept checks that no reasonably sane individual should have to receive. It simply must blow one’s mind to see a check written with so many zeros next to your name. I can only imagine what it would be like to earn more money in one day than most of us do in a year. Clearly, it makes professional athletes angry and ready to strike an anyone who “disrespects” them.

Case Number 1: Terrell Owens

Terrell Owens was already on shaky ground thanks to huge contracts from San Francisco and Philadelphia, but Dallas has only made things worse:

March 18, 2006, Jerry Jones announced that the Dallas Cowboys had signed Terrell Owens to a 3 year, $25 million deal, including a $5 million signing bonus, with a $5 million first year salary.

Oh the humanity! How does TO react to this type of contract? He gets spitting mad:

Dallas Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens was fined $35,000 by the NFL on Monday for spitting in the face of Atlanta cornerback DeAngelo Hall during Saturday night’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Although it’s more than twice as much as the last fine for spitting, Dallas’ flamboyant receiver avoided a suspension. Owens wasn’t ejected at the time because officials didn’t see it.

Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said Monday “we don’t condone that kind of activity, that’s for sure,” and added the team may also punish Owens.

What does TO have to say:

“When it happened, we were jawing in each other’s face, so it wasn’t anything intentional,” he said. “He’s trying to make it seem like more than what it was by saying I hauled off and spit in his face. I feel like if I spit in his face, somebody would’ve seen it.”

The result of all this, TO gets a minor slap on the hand. A $35,000 fine for TO is about the same as a speeding ticket for there rest of us. The fine represents less than 1% of his salary for the year. Ouch.

Case Number 2: Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony recently signed a contract extension that will start next season and will make him very wealthy:

$79 million over five years. It’s the biggest contract ever handed out by the Nuggets in terms of average yearly salary.

What does a contract like that do to one’s psyche? Check out this video from ESPN: NBA Brawl

The game was out of hand and turned into a brawl. Why? Someone felt wronged! The result of this little demonstration of insanity:

Suspended 15 games Monday for his role during a brawl Saturday night with members of the New York Knicks, the 22-year-old Nuggets star faces perhaps his greatest public-relations nightmare in a brief career already filled with missteps that include a drug allegation, a nightclub scuffle and an underground video that encouraged urban youths not to aid police investigations.

Please, can we stop promoting this insanity? Clearly, the sums of money being paid are producing some terrible results.

More misunderestimation