How much is enough?

Piscauk

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So I was reading an article about an NFL player, an all time great named Aaron Donald. Probably the best defensive player over the last 20 years, who just won the Super Bowl. He signed a contract a couple of years ago worth $135m, which was previously the highest paid defensive player, since superceded.

For non-NFL fans, each team has a salary cap, so money is not unlimited.

The point here. Donald states he is prepared to walk away from the game, still in his prime, if he doesn't get a newly negotiated, improved deal.

Does he 'deserve' a new deal? Yes, based on current performance and market value. As he states, this is a business. But one where he could choose to accept his 6 year deal he committed to, and allow the team to strengthen around him rather than divert funds his way.

Ultimately, the man will have, with endorsements etc, over $100m at least at this point. At what point is that 'enough', that someone values happiness, improved work environment (his team), sense of value in an organisations history to not worry about money?

I recall a statement by a footballer named Tiago Silva who chose PSG over Barcelona about 10 years ago, as he had 'mouths to feed' which is frankly insulting. It seems, to me, once you earn significantly over £150k a week, surely anything on top is irrelevant? I understand the 'take home' isn't quite that figure, but still.

How about folk here? For me, my salary is above average, not enough I consider myself rich (NHS worker) but my working conditions are such that I probably wouldn't move for the extra 30% I could make in the privately sector. My threshold is pretty low!
 
The salary cap and his intention to walk away rather than transfer adds a slightly different dimension, but these guys are workers who have very niche skills which make other people - owners / sponsors etc - an awful lot of money. So why shouldn't they get their cut?
 
As above, and it can be a pretty short career plus carries the risk of long term health issues. Teams will drop you like a rock the moment you are out of favour so I say get as much as you can while you can.
 
He has signed a contract - that it appears was favourable to him at the time of signing.
Unless the other party to that contract has been / is being unreasonable (such to give justification to claim they haven't complied with it) he should see it through.
 
He has signed a contract - that it appears was favourable to him at the time of signing.
Unless the other party to that contract has been / is being unreasonable (such to give justification to claim they haven't complied with it) he should see it through.
NFL contracts aren’t the same as in football.
You can have a 6 year ‘contract’, but the team could cut a players contract in year 2 & just stop paying their wages It’s time for the NFL to guarantee contracts for all players

It’s not like football where the player sits on the bench/play in the reserves/injured but still get paid their wages as per their contract. Him walking away from his current contract is no worse than his team having the ability to arbitrarily cut him (ie cancel the contract) & not pay him wages for the remainder of the contract.

There are other players on the team who are on much higher salaries. Should these higher paid players take a pay cut to ‘allow the team to strengthen rather than divert funds their way’?

He’s happy to retire unless they can tempt him to stay. They can decide whether he’s worth it.
 
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I'm not a fanatic about anything to do with Sports, but I think this same question every time Metallica comes out with a new album that's just a compilation of 'new' releases of their old songs.
 
one-milliondollars-dr-evil.gif
 
It's sad that we haven't figured out a way to funnel some of that money people spend on Sports into paying our educators & making better facilities for Education.
 
It's sad that we haven't figured out a way to funnel some of that money people spend on Sports into paying our educators & making better facilities for Education.

It's worse than that though (as I'm sure you know)

NFL franchises aren't obliged to stay in their home-town and will pick up sticks and move to another city if that city offers a better financial deal. Things like the city giving them free land and very beneficial tax breaks (which could be used to pay educators and renovate schools)

The LA Rams moved to St Louis in '95 than back to LA in 2016
The Oakland Raiders moved to LA in '82, back to Oakland in '95 and moved to Las Vegas in 2020

The Chicago Bears have just acquired land in a Chicago Suburb and are saying they'll move if Chicago doesn't come up with a very good deal to keep them in the city.
 
Greed, the almighty dollar is the only thing that matters in the good ol USA.
 
Unless the other party to that contract has been / is being unreasonable
So they are:
It’s not like football where the player sits on the bench/play in the reserves/injured but still get paid their wages as per their contract. Him walking away from his current contract is no worse than his team having the ability to arbitrarily cut him (ie cancel the contract) & not pay him wages for the remainder of the contract.
Not that they're not complying with the contract, but that the terms aren't actually reasonable.
 
Goes to show what I know about Sports, I didn't even know the Rams were in Louisiana.
 

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