Jesse Bates Was Just On NFL Network

[Nicomo Cosca]

(02-25-2022, 06:43 PM)MileHighGrowler Wrote: There's a middle ground on this one. Athletes don't work half years, it's a full time job year-round with training, but yes, the majority of time spent is during the season and they basically have no life during that time.

Athletes make the big money because they're in the entertainment business. Just like any Hollywood actor, they get some massive paydays because of the money pumped into the system. And just like Hollywood, some actors make bank and some get middling jobs their whole careers, like many players.

And yes, some of these guys end up with lifelong physical ailments that are terrible. And some of them don't. Plenty of miners and manufacturing/physical labor workers have also had physical ailments and diseases after retirement, and did it for many more years than football players and with significantly less compensation.

I guess in the end, they chose this profession. They're in the public eye, they're doing something many dream of doing and can't. I've never liked anyone moaning about their paycheck over beers, and I sure don't want to turn on the tv or my phone and see anyone complaining about making millions, either.

So yes, these guys make the money they do (or are able to) because it's the market. And they do work for it (and suffer for it in plenty of cases). But I also think it's just bad optics for them to complain publicly about what they're making.

Wanting the best deal possible doesn’t equal complaining about making millions though. Most of these guys are constantly going on about how blessed they are. But the NFL is one of the most short lived professions in the world. How anyone can begrudge the players for wanting to maximize their paydays while they can is beyond me.