If Los Angeles Dodger star Manny Ramirez doesn’t think $25 million a year, or, if he chooses, $45 million over the next two years is enough, the Dodgers should say fine and cast him off. It is irresponsible to do otherwise—ethically and economically.
At a time when sports teams are experiencing staff layoff woes similar to other industries across the country (albeit on a much smaller scale) and our nation in general is suffering, it is time for baseball and sports in general to start doing the right thing and sending the right message.
Signs that read: “Responsibility” should be posted in every front office and every locker room and at every sports agent’s desk; as in ‘take responsibility’—for doing the right thing. The American League’s top star, Alex Rodriguez, took steroids and initially lied about it. Perhaps baseball’s biggest name ever, Barry Bonds, is about to be indicted. And, now, one of the NL’s top talents and his agent are looking as greedy as the Wall Street “wizards” who put our country into the mess it’s currently in.
If our national past time is not careful, it risks alienating its customer base, just as it did in ’94 with the strike and the Lions have done in recent months. It’s not so hard to fathom, all things considered, that if pushed away too harshly, that fan base could, conceivably, not come back. Just think: ballplayers forced to really play for peanuts.