I have written about this before but it has happened again, so here I go again.
The Washington Redskins signed a seven year contract with Albert Haynsworth. Mr. Haynsworth makes his living as a Defensive Tackle in professional football. I don’t pretend to understand how these contracts are put together, but the Associated Press reports that Haynsworth will earn $32 million dollars in his first year.
Again, let me try to put this into perspective.
$32 million is slightly less than Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia will receive in combined funds from the Obama Recovery Act to modernize the subway system. The very subway system a lot of fans will take to the game.
$32 million is what USAID is going to spend to build and rehabilitate 400 health clinics in Afghanistan over the next three years.
$32 million just happens to be the shortfall experienced by the World Food Program needed to sustain its logistical operations in Myanmar for victims of Cyclone Nargis. It is also the amount needed in Ethiopia for humanitarian efforts.
Let me put it another way. Compassion International tells us that $32 per month provides assistance for a needy child. That’s $384 a year for each child. We can assume that sponsorship of a child would last 12 years. That is $4,608. So the money spent on one guy in just one year could provide lifesaving care for nearly 7,000 children.
I don’t fault Mr. Haynsworth for this lopsided and ludicrous situation. I do have to question the motives of the Redskins organization and sports in general. At what point do they (the owners and players and fans) say enough. When do they start thinking about the suffering in the world around them and not just their own self-centered pleasure? Is drinking beer, eating pizza, and waving a big spongey finger really more important than saving children from starvation, disease, and abuse?
The Redskins are a big deal in my area and I know that lots of folks are going to try to justify this in some way. You can’t. You will never be able to justify paying someone $100 million to play a game. I repeat..,.PLAY a GAME.
[Saving the lives of children is not a game. Please spend your money where it will make a real impact. Go to http://www.Compassion.com Sponsoring a child will warm your heart, and that's better than warming a stadium seat any day]
[ To read more about the work of Compassion visit blog.Compassion.com ]
[...] Would You Spend $32 Million? This is an outstanding post. That’s about all I can say. See it for yourself. Then give me [...]
This is outstanding. I’ve posted a link from my own blog. You said it well!
well said! Thanks for speaking up!
I have heard from those (I won’t post them individually) who are fans of football about this post. Let me assure them that I do not fault Mr. Haynsworth for taking the deal. I agree with many of you that the problem stems from fans who are willing to pay the outrageous ticket prices. Thanks for weighing in.
[...] Albert Haynesworth made a big splash as well, signing with the Redskins for $100 million. It’s still really strange to see defensive players signing these huge deals; we’re so used to seeing them for QBs and WRs, but the mindset has obviously changed recently. This still is an absolutely crazy amount of money… here’s a little perspective on it. [...]