Loyalty strikes out in pro sports

For the love of the game. That was the title of a pretty good baseball movie a few years ago starring Kevin Costner.
I wish there were more players who do what they do for the love of the game. It doesn’t matter the sport, it’s all about the money. It always has been ever since the first person got paid to play a game. Occasionally you find an athlete who really doesn’t give a hoot about the money – but then they generally make more in a year than most of us will see in a lifetime.
I’ve slowly been losing interest in professional sports because I’m so frustrated with the high salaries, the off-field crimes, the drug abuse and so on and so on. It makes me stop and wonder at what point sports stops being about the team and becomes more about the individual.
As children playing our first little league games, it is coached into our heads and hearts how important the team is. We develop loyalties early on to our local teams and yearn for the day when we can play for the local high school. (As a side note, Hempstead ISD has a teamwork motto.)
That loyalty continues into college. If you’ve ever seen the movie “Rudy,” you know what I’m talking about. But something happens in college. Once a player begins to realize he has the potential to go pro, his focus changes. He works on improving himself. He wants more playing time. He must decide if he will stay with the team or forgo his senior year and turn pro.
How does turning pro a year early help the team? It might help the individual, but by then the team concept is lost on him. At the professional level, even entry is contrary to the team concept. Players are drafted. They can’t apply to a favorite team. They go where they’re told – at least long enough to get some time in and then renegotiate a contract for more money or perhaps another team.
It’s rare that you see a player stay with any one team their entire career. Just ask Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman. As much as Astros fans might miss them, understand that they are gone not because of their commitment to the team but because of the almighty dollar.
You can argue that Andre Johnson will be a career Texan, but look at the pile of loot it took to keep him. Even then, there is no guarantee that he will stay a Texan. Anything could happen that would ship him elsewhere, such as a trade, drop in performance or other unforeseen incident.
Professional sports isn’t fun and games. It’s a business. And like any businesses it is driven by economics. Loyalty and commitment have little meaning in the big leagues. Just imagine what the face of professional sports would look like today if loyalty and integrity were valued character traits. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if players rode for the brand instead of themselves?
Imagine sports without strikes, lockouts, salary disputes, relocations, performance-enhancing drugs and off-field troublemaking. What if those values were modeled for children today? Think of what this country might be like if loyalty were better exemplified not only in sports, but in the workplace and in marriages.
A generation or two ago it was not uncommon to see someone retire after 30, 40 or even 50 years of service to one company. Now you’re lucky to see people reach the 10-year mark with the same employer. I know I’m the pot calling the kettle black because I’m with my sixth newspaper in 23 years.
I’m not naïve enough to think that loyalty should be everything and that people shouldn’t look out for their best interests. I feel, however, that loyalty should account for something. I think companies (and sports teams) need to do a better job of recognizing and respecting loyalty. And workers (and players) need to understand that money isn’t everything. There are benefits to making the most of where you are at. If your situation is bad, it makes perfect sense to move on. But if you are happy, why upset the apple cart?
It is more important to make more money and climb the corporate ladder or to spend more time with your family, volunteering in your community and being involved in the world around you?
I feel the most important arena for loyalty is not a sports arena but the arena of relationships – especially marriages. Cheating is not an option. Loyalty and commitment are stalwart characteristics that should describe every familial relationship. Once they are grounded at that level, they will spread to all aspects of our lives – on and off the field.