What is the major sports biggest downfall?

[Dr. Jack]

Long term contracts
Arbritration
Free Agency
something else

What do you think?

[Gerk]

Agree with most all of them

The thing that I think is most disturbing is how these sports treat their former players, especially the non-star players

The pension plans for the former players in most of these sports is atrocious. Take some of the mega profits and help your own

[Dr. Jack]

Originally Posted by Gerk

Agree with most all of them

The thing that I think is most disturbing is how these sports treat their former players, especially the non-star players

The pension plans for the former players in most of these sports is atrocious. Take some of the mega profits and help your own

True. the old time players were always looking out for the next generation. These guys today look out for themselves.

The pensions are sad. You would think billion dollar leagues would get this together

[domafia]

Why is this different from any other industry. Go and poll any Fortune 500 company and you will see that most of them are scaling back or completely eliminating pension plans all together. We live in a different world now where the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. You better have a good plan for your financial future, because odds are your employer isn't too concerned about making that future an easy onefor you.

[drewshow]

good point doomsday dom

[Gerk]

Gerk works in the public sector and is very happy with his pension plan

[Dr. Jack]

Originally Posted by Gerk

Gerk works in the public sector and is very happy with his pension plan

They always take care of their own. Fk everyone else though. lol

[TCD619]

Terrell Owens

[Randle Pat McMurphy]

Have lost touch with their fan base & take them for granted.

When I used to attend games (Baseball) with my dad, was an everyday thing to have players come to the rail to converse and shake hands with fans, sign a few autographs...just as a way to connect. Nowadays, this has even changed at minor league parks and at spring training.

It would only take a very small effort from players to change this. The Cal Ripkens of the world are few and far between. Guy would stay for hours to talk to fans at games.


As a side note, not sure if he is still traveling and doing shows or not, but baseball fans, if you ever get a chance to meet Bob Feller I urge you to do so. I used to do some card and memoribilia shows when my oldest son was growing up. We did a show in '92 at the Holiday Inn at Tyson's Corner, Va. Unlike the current stars who are escorted in a show 5 mins before their long 2 hour signing session, "Bullet" Bob Feller and Enos "Big Country" Slaughter arrived on Friday evening before the Saturday show.

They were seated together in the lobby that evening reminiscing about the old days when we happened to be going to our room. I asked Mr Feller if I could introduce him to my son. Long story short, he and Mr Slaughter asked us to join them to talk about baseball. Once the show promoters stumbled upon us, they decided to move us into a small banquet room. They ordered in pizza and drinks and a group of us got to listen to these 2 guys tell stories until after midnight. Feller would still be talking if Big Country wouldnt have drug him up to their rooms.

If you are a baseball fan and ever get the chance to meet Bob Feller, then I implore you to do so. Just ask him a few questions, you can then just sit back and listen.

My apologies if this is out of place.

[Windy City Irish]

this new fangled thing in baseball about opting out of a contract before its up to test the market.....JD Drew!!!!

dont like this pattern developing

Also, ticket prices....$95 for a field box at fenway....now $50+++ at whitesox and cubs for prime games...

$250 to sit front row at a F'in blackhawks game.

to take a family of 4 now including parking, tix, food is some people weekly salaries

[domafia]

Originally Posted by WindyCity Irish

Also, ticket prices....$95 for a field box at fenway....now $50+++ at whitesox and cubs for prime games...

$250 to sit front row at a F'in blackhawks game.

to take a family of 4 now including parking, tix, food is some people weekly salaries

ticket prices do suck now. teams like to promote how affordable it is to come out to a game by pimping nosebleeds at low prices, but anything remotely close to the action will cost you an arm and a leg in most cases.

[KellosJ]

Contracts should be more incentive driven...And include fan appreciation clauses. Heck, even bonus a guy who doesn't get arrested and heavily penalize him when he does. But I agree with RPM, most sports' Athletes are like pure royalty anymore, where's the real connection with the fans?

[Dr. Jack]

Originally Posted by Randle Pat McMurphy

Have lost touch with their fan base & take them for granted.

When I used to attend games (Baseball) with my dad, was an everyday thing to have players come to the rail to converse and shake hands with fans, sign a few autographs...just as a way to connect. Nowadays, this has even changed at minor league parks and at spring training.

It would only take a very small effort from players to change this. The Cal Ripkens of the world are few and far between. Guy would stay for hours to talk to fans at games.


As a side note, not sure if he is still traveling and doing shows or not, but baseball fans, if you ever get a chance to meet Bob Feller I urge you to do so. I used to do some card and memoribilia shows when my oldest son was growing up. We did a show in '92 at the Holiday Inn at Tyson's Corner, Va. Unlike the current stars who are escorted in a show 5 mins before their long 2 hour signing session, "Bullet" Bob Feller and Enos "Big Country" Slaughter arrived on Friday evening before the Saturday show.

They were seated together in the lobby that evening reminiscing about the old days when we happened to be going to our room. I asked Mr Feller if I could introduce him to my son. Long story short, he and Mr Slaughter asked us to join them to talk about baseball. Once the show promoters stumbled upon us, they decided to move us into a small banquet room. They ordered in pizza and drinks and a group of us got to listen to these 2 guys tell stories until after midnight. Feller would still be talking if Big Country wouldnt have drug him up to their rooms.

If you are a baseball fan and ever get the chance to meet Bob Feller, then I implore you to do so. Just ask him a few questions, you can then just sit back and listen.

My apologies if this is out of place.

Good post RPM and it's funny I have met Bob Feller on a couple of occassions. He is a nice guys, real old school and a cool baseball man

[Dr. Jack]

Originally Posted by KellosJ

Contracts should be more incentive driven...And include fan appreciation clauses. Heck, even bonus a guy who doesn't get arrested and heavily penalize him when he does. But I agree with RPM, most sports' Athletes are like pure royalty anymore, where's the real connection with the fans?

Agree mostly - They should all be playing for one year contracts. It would solve a lot of problems.

[upinya83]

Originally Posted by Dr. Jack

Good post RPM and it's funny I have met Bob Feller on a couple of occassions. He is a nice guys, real old school and a cool baseball man

Bob Feller is from Iowa, of course he's a nice guy