In Bill Simmons' recent mailbag, he agreed with a reader that called Carmelo Anthony a "13 year-old, manipulative girl."
So, you have a job and you want to go somewhere else. You have told your boss's about this 9 months in advance. You have told them money is not an issue, the issue is both location and being on a cutting-edge team in order to do your best work. You have told them your wife does not like the location. You have told them you want to be closer to home. And you have told them all this without spreading it around the office that the people you work for just simply are not making the cut anymore.
What have you done that has manipulated the situation for your benefit? You did not negotiate with your bosses in order to artificially raise the price on your services. You are still giving your all at work everyday. You have given them 9 MONTHS instead of the two-week notice in order for them to prepare for your departure. You have made clear the reasons that they cannot retain your services.
The perception of athletes is that they "play" a "game" like they do nothing in between games and only show up when the lights are on and the stadium is packed.
There seems to be a great number of sports writers and fans who either never played a sport or completely forgot what it is like to be on a team.
The work put into making a team successful (whether junior high or professional) is completely different than the play the average person at the Y puts into his game.
And even when you play with those people at the Y, who are the best? The guys you see at random hours during the day before they play pickup working on their game.
Those best players at the Y put in tons of work just to be the best among that group of guys, imagine how much work it would take to even make the NBA, let alone be one of it's best players.
A big, resounding fat NO.
WE owe them something.
We owe them for all the hours they put into the gym.
We owe them for wrecking their bodies in every game and wrecking their bodies when we are not watching.
We owe them for being so square in the public eye that they cannot go to their favorite places without getting harassed.
We owe them for putting themselves out for scrutiny in their enemies' gyms 41 nights a year.
And mostly, we owe them for showing us what hard work and dedication can get you (and what it can't.)
And the thing we owe them is allowing them to make the best decisions for themselves and their families while appreciating all they have done for us.
You Have a Job and You Want to Go Somewhere Else
So, you have a job and you want to go somewhere else. You have told your boss's about this 9 months in advance. You have told them money is not an issue, the issue is both location and being on a cutting-edge team in order to do your best work. You have told them your wife does not like the location. You have told them you want to be closer to home. And you have told them all this without spreading it around the office that the people you work for just simply are not making the cut anymore.
Are You Being Manipulative?
What have you done that has manipulated the situation for your benefit? You did not negotiate with your bosses in order to artificially raise the price on your services. You are still giving your all at work everyday. You have given them 9 MONTHS instead of the two-week notice in order for them to prepare for your departure. You have made clear the reasons that they cannot retain your services.
Why Do We Hold Athletes to a Different Standard?
The perception of athletes is that they "play" a "game" like they do nothing in between games and only show up when the lights are on and the stadium is packed.
There seems to be a great number of sports writers and fans who either never played a sport or completely forgot what it is like to be on a team.
The work put into making a team successful (whether junior high or professional) is completely different than the play the average person at the Y puts into his game.
And even when you play with those people at the Y, who are the best? The guys you see at random hours during the day before they play pickup working on their game.
Those best players at the Y put in tons of work just to be the best among that group of guys, imagine how much work it would take to even make the NBA, let alone be one of it's best players.
Do the Players Owe Us Anything?
A big, resounding fat NO.
WE owe them something.
We owe them for all the hours they put into the gym.
We owe them for wrecking their bodies in every game and wrecking their bodies when we are not watching.
We owe them for being so square in the public eye that they cannot go to their favorite places without getting harassed.
We owe them for putting themselves out for scrutiny in their enemies' gyms 41 nights a year.
And mostly, we owe them for showing us what hard work and dedication can get you (and what it can't.)
And the thing we owe them is allowing them to make the best decisions for themselves and their families while appreciating all they have done for us.
