quote:Originally posted by PA Dino:quote:This is one thing you can't say abut LeBron James. He took less money to go to Miami. So did Bosh. So did Wade to give the Heat more cap space.
On the contrary, LeBron will be making more money in Miami than he ever would in let's say, New York simply because of the favorable tax implications. I will agree that the statement would be better as the following:
The NBA is just a bunch of millionaire thugs who milk every dime they can from billionaire owners who then milk every dime they can from the common fan.
ESPN has a feature called Salary Crunch, where you can find out how long it takes famous players to make your salary and vice versa. Here's what Lebron has to do to earn my highest salary in 25 years as a law enforcement officer: .43 games, 3.25 rebounds, 12.78 points, 3.64 assists. Or how long I'd have to work to make LeBron's annual salary: 201.65 years.
These guys are out of touch.
Who cares what other people make. I concern myself with what I make. Anything else is just a curiosity. Pro athletes fit into a skill category that is less than 1% of all athletes. And many are out of the game in three or less years. The average person on the street isn't going to fill stadiums doing their job. Top surgeons make in the millions per year too. If your employer called you into the office and offered to double your salary would you turn it down on the grounds it's not fair to the company's consumers?
You completely ignored my statement about the guys who took less money to stay with the Celtics. Massachusetts has one of the highest state tax rates in the country. So much for your tax argument since the NBA is a bunch of thugs chasing dollars.
Whenever I see people go after NBA salaries and not other salaries I see racial undertones. If baseball players strike they're not greedy? If baseball players holdout they're not greedy? If baseball players sign with Boras because he gets the best deal are they greedy? Where do actors fall into your scheme of milking money out of common people. Businesses pay their employees and charge for products based on what the market will bear. How many people would pay to watch you work? The reality is the common man doesn't have to be milked. He can chose not to participate. Life is full of choices.
Now you have yourself in two debates where your arguments are inconsistant and you don't appear to know what you're talking about.
By the way, another NBA thug Shaq O'Neil is looking at taking the NBA veteran minimum to play for a team with a chance to win a title than get the most money from just any team.