Re: idea

[D Parker <danp@town.ipswich.ma.us>]

On Wed, 5 Aug 1998, Alejandro wrote:

> I wish players like Antoine Walker had a heart like this instead of being
> so damn selfish.

It's damning him with faint praise, but he's no worse than the rest of the
players.  Kevin Garnett still carries the torch for greed in my mind.

It would be great if a player latched on to something like this.  I always
wanted to be able to whisper in the ear of a star who's up for
negotiations and point out the following:

* You already have more money than you know what to do with
* You are/can make more than your salary via endorsements
* The team could reward you down the line, a la Jordan, or with
  a front office position
* The public relations value would be mind-blowing

Have a star either sign for an amount well below market value (say, 1 or 2
million/year) and announce how they just want to win.  You set an example
for the other players on the team, and the team can sign a free agent to
help you win - maybe even two.  You might even entice free agents to sign
for less than market value if they're thinking, "Wow, that must be a great
place to play is he's only asking for 2 million".  A star willing to do
this could have the franchise put together an incredible team, they would
all benefit (playoff shares/high profile franchise/more endorsement
opportunities) and they would have a romping good time.

Barring that, signing a market value contract and pouring a large
percentage of it into the community would be nice, too.

Dan