Greed and the Death of Professional Sports Essay -- Argumentative Pers

Greed and the Death of Professional Sports "Show me the money," screamed Rod. "C'mon Jerry, show me the money!" We vividly remember this famous line from the hit movie, Jerry Maguire. The greedy football player, Rod Tidwell, screams these unforgettable lines trying to convince his agent that he will not settle for any less than a top dollar salary as the flashy Arizona Cardinal wide receiver. This scene exemplifies what has happened to professional sports in recent years. The focus of professional sports has evolved from one of teamwork and camaraderie to one of avarice and greed. The specific problems in recent years that have stemmed off this overwhelming greed include exorbitant salaries, lockouts (or work stoppages) in professional sports, and the growing disparity among team payrolls. Most recognize these issues as major problems; however, others overlook the greed and see validity in the financial aspect of today's sports world. They argue that professional sports are thriving and should not be modified. They also contend that sometimes lockouts are unavoidable and are often the only way to work out problems. The opposition reasons that professional teams with huge payrolls deserve all the money because they worked hard to get where they are. They argue that most players work hard to become great athletes and therefore they deserve enormous salaries. They also plead that lockouts are healthy for professional sports because they help each sport continually evolve and adapt to new problems it faces. While the opposition does not notice the gr... ...roblems though, or they will lose everything. Works Cited Abert, Daniel. "Pact Ends NHL Lockout." Monthly Labor Review 118 (1995): 76. "Baseball Owners Approve Interim Revenue Sharing." Available Online: www.espnet.sportzone.com/editors/mlb/features/0321meeting.html Bergman, Ray. "My Baseball Dream." Baseball Parks 1 (1996): 1. Dortch, Shannon. "The Future of Baseball." American Demographics 18 (1996) 25-30. Jerry Maguire. Dir. Cameron Crowe. Perf. Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr. Tri- Star Pictures, 1996. Licter, Richard. "Magical Season." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 12 Oct. 1998, 1. McGraw, Dan. "Baseball Celebrates, Fans Yawn." US News. 2 Nov. 1998, 1. NFL on CBS. Writ. Tom Weinert. Perf. Al Michaels, Henry Tevers, and Brian Green. CBS, New York. 26 Nov. 1998.